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☆ Facing fallout from nickel crisis, LME appoints 'interim' chairman
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - The London Metal Exchange (LME) said on Friday it had appointed John Williamson, currently a non-executive director, as interim chairman from the end of April, when current Chair Gay Huey Evans steps down. Williamson's appointment comes as the world's largest and oldest metals forum grapples with slumping nickel volumes after the chaos in March 2022 when the LME suspended nickel trading for more than a week. Metal industry sources are surprised that Williamson's appointment is on an interim basis, which they say creates uncertainty during a tumultuous time. The LME declined to comment on why the appointment was on an interim basis. A lawsuit brought by Elliott Associates and Jane Street Global Trading against the LME for cancelling nickel trades will be heard in a London court on June 20-22.

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - A year on from the nickel crisis the London Metal Exchange (LME) is still struggling to regain trading momentum. Volumes dropped sharply after the controversial decision to suspend nickel trading and cancel trades. In this subdued metals trading landscape there are currently two unlikely star performers: London lead and Shanghai tin. The Shanghai nickel contract took a big collateral hit from the LME's crisis and volumes remain depressed, down by half year-on-year in the first quarter. ShFE volumes year-on-year change in Q1 2023LEAD GETS INDEX BOOSTERThe two metallic stand-outs in terms of first-quarter trading activity were LME lead and ShFE tin.

☆ CME debuts offshore yuan options to tap rising trading demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, April 3 (Reuters) - Chicago's CME Group (CME.O) opened options trading for Chinese yuan futures on Monday, as it looks to deepen a market that investors use for betting or hedging against moves in China's currency. Hong Kong has offered similar exchange-traded options since 2017, though bringing the product to CME - the world's biggest derivatives exchange - may be a step toward competing with the banks that dominate options by selling directly to customers. "We hope to see liquidity develop there that's comparable to the over-the-counter market," said Tim Brooks, London-based head of FX options at Optiver, which will deal in the new CME derivatives. The CME options have a range of expiry dates from weekly, to monthly or a year and are based on futures contracts with a notional amount of $100,000. CME is a much smaller yuan-trading hub than Hong Kong.

☆ Hong Kong makes new rules for specialist tech firm listings, cuts rev threshold
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 24 (Reuters) - The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) said on Friday it had framed new listing rules for specialist technology companies, adopting a lower revenue threshold for these firms set out in earlier proposals. The bourse operator, a unit of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (0388.HK), said it would welcome applications operating in frontier industries, including new energy, robotics, semiconductors, quantum computing, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and new food and agriculture technologies. A commercialised company should have no less than HK$6 billion ($764.38 million) in market capitalisation, according to the rules, lower than HK$8 billion stipulated in a consultation last October. These rules are designed to retain the attractiveness of Hong Kong's capital markets amid continued geopolitical tensions. ($1 = 7.8495 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Poonam Behura in Bangalore and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON, March 21 (Reuters) - The London Metal Exchange (LME) has discovered that some of its registered nickel is missing. Bags of stones shouldn't pass any inspection, whether at original load-in or during the annual audit of registered stock required by the LME's warehousing agreement. But it folds into the bigger issues around the exchange's governance and regulatory capacity after the blow-out of the nickel contract this time last year. BROKEN NICKELThe latest scandal will also intensify the question of whether the LME nickel contract is fulfilling the function of efficient price discovery forum. The nickel market was already looking for different pricing solutions before the March 8, 2022 suspension of LME nickel trading.

☆ Middle East pivot to Asia is strategic this time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Xi Jinping has brokered a deal the United States would have found hard to secure, despite its traditional military influence in the Middle East. The Middle East has trained its financial sights on Asia before. At current rates of growth, emerging Asia will become the top trade partner for the Gulf countries by 2028, per Asia House, surpassing advanced economies. As U.S.-China relations continue to sour, the Asian financial centre is looking to the Middle East to find new foreign companies to trade in the territory. Delegations from the two Middle East countries held talks in Beijing between March 6 and 10, the statement added.

The world's largest and oldest metals market annulled all nickel trades in March last year after chaotic price action and suspended trading for the first time since 1988. "That the FCA has decided to investigate means it considers there are circumstances suggesting that LME may have committed serious misconduct. ACTIVE STEPSThe 146-year-old LME said it had taken active steps to enhance nickel market liquidity and transparency, including 15% daily price limits and over the counter (OTC) position reporting for all physically delivered metals. The FCA and Bank of England began a review last April into the trading halt by the LME, owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (0388.HK). In January management consultants Oliver Wyman released an independent review of the nickel trading debacle and the exchange said it would set out an implementation plan for the report's recommendations by the end of March.

☆ China's $2.5 trillion savings could bring 'opportunities for growth,' HKEX CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesExcess savings from Chinese households could be growth opportunities and will likely bring "active" economic performance for the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, its CEO told CNBC on Thursday. "I think the second and third quarter should be active quarters in terms of economic performance by China," Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing CEO Nicolas Aguzin told CNBC's Emily Tan. He said he sees about $2.5 trillion dollars in excess savings accumulated by Chinese households during Covid. Shares of HKEX gave up gains of more than 1% after the earnings release and closed flat on Thursday. "Macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions led to weak sentiment and softness across the global IPO market," the company said in its earnings release.

☆ Hong Kong spreads its wings, and its bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

HONG KONG, Feb 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - For a sign that Hong Kong’s recovery is more than wishful thinking, look no further than the city’s Disneyland. The house of Mickey Mouse is implicitly betting Hong Kong will soon be back, and bigger than before. At its core, Hong Kong’s unique selling point is that it’s China-by-proxy for investors; enterprises in the People’s Republic account for 78% of the market capitalisation of Hong Kong’s main boards. Against such a backdrop, it’s logical that Hong Kong is trying to spread its bets. Hong Kong exchange boss Nicolas Aguzin’s pitch is strengthened by a Chinese plan to let overseas companies listed in Hong Kong be included in the Connect programme.

☆ Hong Kong can help international investors enter Middle East markets: Former HKEX exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHong Kong can help international investors enter Middle East markets: Former HKEX execJames Fok, an independent consultant who was senior executive at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing from 2012 to 2021, says Hong Kong must, as a financial center, find a way to complement what Middle Eastern financial centers can already do for themselves.

☆ China's reopening fuels global growth optimism, Davos panel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Arnd WiegmannFRANKFURT, Jan 17 (Reuters) - China's reopening from pandemic restrictions could drive global growth beyond expectations and help avoid a broader recession even as some of the world's largest economies struggle to overcome a downturn, top finance officials at the World Economic Forum said. 'STRONG LABOUR MARKETS'Peterson said he still expected a "very mild" recession in the United States, Europe and the Britain, but full year net growth was still going to be positive. "Strong labour markets are not consistent with what we see with a recession and the labour markets are strong almost everywhere in the world," he added. Credit Suisse Chairman Axel Lehmann said he even hoped the United States could avoid a recession, but he too put his bets on China. "I also think that the economy has been surprising us quarter after quarter; the fourth quarter in Europe will be most likely still positive," Centeno said.

☆ Davos: No recession after all? Business leaders more hopeful as China reopens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Davos, Switzerland CNN —Bullishness about the global economy has been in short supply among business leaders in recent months, with fears of recession clouding the outlook and restraining investment. That’s thanks in large part to China, whose sudden removal of strict coronavirus restrictions late last year is expected to unleash a wave of spending that may offset economic weakness in the United States and Europe. Near term, China is in the grip of its worst coronavirus outbreak, keeping many people indoors and emptying shops and restaurants in recent weeks. “I’m expecting a solid growth number for China in 2023,” said Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society and a former prime minister of Australia. “Maybe we will be surprised also in the first half of the year.”Averting a global recession is not a done deal, however.

☆ Olam’s Saudi-Singapore IPO sign of shifting times
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Signs of deepening ties between Asia and the oil-rich Gulf are coming thick and fast. A planned Saudi Arabia-Singapore dual listing this year for Olam Agri, a trader of grains and seeds, is the latest example. Corporate and financial moves underscore how the global pin-code, as Olam’s co-founder and Chief Executive Sunny Verghese puts it, is changing. Between population trends, the Russia-Ukraine war and polarising geopolitics, expect the Gulf and Asia to get cosier. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - March 2022 will go down in the history books as the moment the global nickel market broke down. The search is on for a new nickel price discovery process. Global Commodities Holdings (GCH) thinks it has a solution, a blast from the LME's own distant past that could have far-reaching consequences for industrial metals trading. This is self-evidently true of the LME nickel contract, which simply could not absorb the scale of short positions accumulated by China's Tsingshan Group. It may not just be nickel players keeping a close eye on GCH's proposed new metals pricing solution.

☆ CSOP bitcoin futures ETF closes higher in Hong Kong debut
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's first bitcoin and ether futures exchange traded funds (ETFs) ended their first trading day higher on Friday, reflecting investors' interest despite the broader crypto market meltdown. The CSOP Bitcoin Futures ETF (3066.HK) closed up 0.5% at HK$7.81 per unit, while the CSOP Ether Futures ETF ended 0.4% higher at HK$7.805. Both ETFs had opened flat compared to their estimated net asset values, both at HK$7.77 per unit. Among the two, the bitcoin futures ETF attracted more trading volume, as a total of 937,200 units worth HK$7.3 million changed hands. ($1 = 7.7777 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Georgina Lee; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ British court set to hear demand for evidence over LME nickel crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The other claimants in the filing at the London Commercial Court were Winton Capital Management, Capstone Investment Advisors, Flow Traders (FLOW.AS) and DRW Commodities. The exchange, the world's oldest and largest market for industrial metals, has rejected the legal action as without merit. The LME is also facing lawsuits from U.S. hedge fund Elliott Associates and Jane Street Global Trading, which are suing the LME for $456 million and $15.3 million, respectively, for the cancelled nickel trades. British financial regulators launched a sweeping investigation in April of the suspension of nickel trading while the LME also commissioned its own independent review of the matter. Reporting by Eric Onstad and Nell Mackenzie in London Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Amid crypto turmoil, Hong Kong debuts first crypto futures ETFs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Two exchange traded funds (ETF) that track U.S.-listed cryptocurrency futures have raised a combined $73.6 million ahead of their debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday in defiance of the sector's meltdown. Cryptocurrencies have endured months of turmoil, with the collapse of crypto exchange FTX the latest blow to the sector. The larger of the two, CSOP Bitcoin Futures ETF (3066.HK), pulled in $53.9 million, according to the manager. "Coming after the recent liquidity problems affecting some of the crypto platforms, our two crypto futures ETFs demonstrate that Hong Kong remains open-minded on the development of virtual assets," said Yi Wang, head of quantitative investment at CSOP. On Friday, each lot trading on the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing (HKEX) (0388.HK) will debut at HK$780 each.

HONG KONG, Dec 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Hong Kong’s bankers and officials fantasise about the moment China finally ditches its Covid-19 restrictions. Mainland Chinese firms account for eight of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing’s (0388.HK) ten largest ever IPOs. It remains faster for Chinese companies to list in Hong Kong, rather than join the long queue on the mainland. Hong Kong could also host more offerings from places like the Middle East and Southeast Asia, as Cha envisions. IPOs on the Hong Kong exchange have raised $7.1 billion so far in 2022, according to Refinitiv data for the year up to Dec. 7.

☆ HKEX alum helps Macau take micro-step into finance
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Dec 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Small is beautiful. Hong Kong’s former stock market Chief Executive Charles Li, key driver of the wildly successful bilateral Stock Connect programme between mainland Chinese bourses and Hong Kong, is kickstarting an asset exchange in Macau. Given Li’s experience running Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing’s (0388.HK) HK$26 trillion ($3.35 trillion) securities market, his entry is a coup for Macau, which is increasingly desperate to diversify beyond gambling into finance. Talk of a yuan-based stock exchange has yet to bear fruit. Macau, which sits outside China’s capital controls like Hong Kong, may want to compete with its neighbour, but it has a long way to go.

☆ IPO market nearly paused, but exchange leaders expect 2023 boost
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( John Mccrank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 15, 2022. Proceeds raised by IPOs this year are down around 93% versus 2021, said Lynn Martin, president of Intercontinental Exchange Inc's (ICE.N) New York Stock Exchange. "The reason companies aren't coming to market isn't because the public market currency isn't strong," she said in an interview on Wednesday. Increased scrutiny over the accounting practices of Chinese companies listing in the United States has been another factor in the slowdown in IPOs. "I am quite confident that the IPO market activity will return very quickly in the new year," she said.

☆ After FTX collapse, pressure builds for tougher crypto rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX was the biggest in string of big crypto-related failures this year. Some crypto investors share these concerns. "Regulators could have posted a lot more guidance for crypto," said Brian Fakhoury at crypto venture capital fund Mechanism Capital. India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the collapse of FTX underscored the need for greater visibility on often-anonymous crypto transactions. The FTX collapse "shows the importance of a well-framed regulation," Sitharaman said, "so that countries can be clearly aware of by whom, for what for these transactions are happening.

☆ HSBC resigns as LME member after exiting industrial metals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - HSBC (HSBA.L) has resigned its membership in the London Metal Exchange, the LME said on Friday, after the bank decided to close its industrial metals business two years ago. The exchange, the world's oldest and largest market for industrial metals, said in a notice that HSBC Bank plc had resigned from both the exchange and its clearing house effective on Friday. The bank was a small player in industrial metals, but told Reuters in July 2020 that returns were too low to justify continuing the business. "We remain focused on growing our leading position in precious metals," a HSBC spokesperson said on Friday. HSBC was a Category 2 LME member, which allows trading for their own account and on behalf of clients using the LME electronic system, but not in the open-outcry ring.

☆ Hong Kong sees IPO slowdown reversing; eyes international issuers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sumeet Chatterjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China's economic slowdown, a sweeping regulatory crackdown that has tightened scrutiny over companies' fundraising outside mainland China and geopolitical tensions have all resulted in a bleak year for new listings in Hong Kong. "In other words, we will make ourselves much more diversified (with) many more international companies and that will be our strategy." International investors account for about 42% of investments in Hong Kong's equity market, and that share is "a lot higher" in the derivatives market, Cha said. Years of strict COVID restrictions have also badly hit Hong Kong's economy, but the city has lifted most of its curbs in the last couple of months. "So for us, there was, like the rest of Hong Kong, a higher attrition rate about 12 months ago, and that has come down now."

☆ Hong Kong’s Stock Exchange Hit Hard by Market Rout
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Dave Sebastian | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing has proposed a rule change that would allow more early-stage companies to list. Hong Kong’s stock market has performed badly this year—but its stock-exchange operator has done even worse. The shares of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. are down 43% since the start of the year, even after a rally so far in November. That is a bigger drop than that of Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index, which has fallen 30% in the year to date. It also compares poorly with its global peers—no major exchange operator has lost more value this year.

☆ Explainer: What's behind Hong Kong's tightening cash conditions?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HONG KONG, Nov 3 (Reuters) - A weak Hong Kong dollar and capital outflows have pushed the city's interbank rates to 14-year highs and drained cash levels to their lowest in two years, sparking investor worries about Hong Kong's cherished currency peg and its economic health. Below are some details on the complex policy framework and recent developments surrounding the tight liquidity:WHY IS HONG KONG ON INVESTORS' RADAR? That has tightened cash in the economy and driven the one-month Hong Kong Interbank Offer Rate (HIBOR) to a 14-year high. A dearth of initial public offerings this year on Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing's (HKEX) markets has dampened investor demand for Hong Kong dollars. Hong Kong rates, liquidity($1 = 7.8498 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Georgina Lee; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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