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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.

Sinema herself, however, said she would not caucus with the Republican Party, according to an interview Politico published on Friday. It will be up to Senate Democrats to foil Republican initiatives. Sinema and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin have kept Washington in suspense over the last two years as they repeatedly withheld needed votes for legislation sought by Biden. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) walks from her hideaway office to the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. August 2, 2022. Just this week, Sinema and Republican Senator Thom Tillis unveiled an immigration reform plan that is getting bipartisan attention in the Senate.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party reshapes the dynamics of the 2024 Senate race in Arizona, creating fresh obstacles for Democrats to hold the seat in two years. But I’m still shockingly disappointed at how awful she continues to be,” said Michael Slugocki, an outgoing vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. A bipartisan poll by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research in September found that Sinema's favorable rating among Arizona Democrats was 37%. The state party censured Sinema last year after she opposed a Senate rules change to pass a major voting-rights bill. “There is every intention that the Arizona Democratic Party will run a true Democrat in 2024,” he said, adding that he favors Gallego.

☆ Stocks have entered a new bull market and the S&P 500 could soar 26% in the next 12 months, Leuthold Group's Jim Paulsen says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The S&P 500 could spike 26% to hit 5,000 in the next 12 months, Leuthold Group's investment chief says. "I think the lows are in and I think we're starting a new bull market," Jim Paulsen told Bloomberg. He said the US economy is likely to avoid a recession, supporting the S&P 500 rising to a new milestone. I think the lows are in and I think we're starting a new bull market," he said during the Bloomberg interview that was broadcast Thursday. Paulsen sees stocks entering a new bull market on about 60/40 odds of the US avoiding recession or the economy experiencing a mild recession.

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Investors caught off-guard by China's dramatic COVID policy pivot are betting on both greed and fear as the economy starts to gradually reopen, snapping up shares in businesses from travel agencies and casinos to funeral companies. Providers of death care services, including Hong Kong-listed Fu Shou Yuan International Group (1448.HK), China's biggest cemetery operator and funeral service provider, have also drawn investors. The positioning for both the bright and dark side of China's COVID pivot reflects growing concerns from investors surprised by the rapid policy change, especially as COVID vaccination rates among the elderly remain relatively low. "But we still think that the way China can flatten the curve of new COVID cases without doubling down on tightening looks quite challenging." Morgan Stanley Chief China economist Robin Xing said China's economy may remain sluggish for another quarter or two, but growth will pick up after Spring.

☆ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocks Kyrsten Sinema's announcement to leave the Democratic Party and register as an independent: 'She lays out no goals for Arizonans'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ocasio-Cortez joins a number of Democrats who criticized Sinema on Friday over her bombshell decision to leave the party and register as an independent. The Arizona Democratic Party blasted the first-term senator, saying in a statement that her "party registration means nothing if she continues not to listen to her constituents." Sinema's announcement comes after Democrats expanded their Senate majority in the midterm elections, allowing the party to move more quickly on legislation and nominations. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House responded to Sinema's decision on Friday by declaring the Senate's new 51-49 power balance remains unchanged. "I believe she's a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate," Schumer said in a statement.

☆ JP Morgan asset managers buck the doomsayers of Wall Street, predicting a better 2023 for stocks and bonds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Anil Varma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

JP Morgan Asset Management sees a better 2023 for stocks, even as big Wall Street banks warn of sharp falls. "The worst of the market volatility is behind us and both stocks and bonds look increasingly attractive," JP Morgan Asset said. More interest-rate rises look limited, bringing some cheer for markets in 2023, top asset manager Janus Henderson agreed. Here's a selection of commentary and predictions from the two asset managers on 2023 investment prospects. JP Morgan Asset Management"Our base case sees a moderate recession in most major developed economies in 2023.

☆ Bank of America says 2 global chip stocks could rise by 75% on EV car sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The shortage of semiconductors during a boom in electric vehicle sales could help raise profits at a handful of chip makers, according to Bank of America. The investment bank said shares of U.S.-listed European chip maker STMicroelectronics and Japan's Renesas Electronics could rise by more than 75% over the next year on that trend. Although global automotive sales are expected to rise by just 3-4% over the next two years, the transition to EV cars means chip sales are set to grow by 7-9% year after year for the next two years, the Wall Street bank said. The company said auto revenues grew 44% in 2021 due to chip sales for in-car connectivity devices. Other chip stocks set to benefit from the trend to EV vehicles include U.S.-based companies Marvell , Microchip , Nvidia and Ambarella , Wolfspeed , and Onsemi , as well as European semiconductor manufacturers NXP and Soitec .

☆ Lazard CEO warns of more Wall Street layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Manya Saini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Charging Bull or Wall Street Bull is pictured in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 16, 2019. Rivals Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Citigroup Inc (C.N) have also culled some staff. Elsewhere on Wall Street, BlackRock Inc (BLK.N), the world's largest asset manager, has also frozen hiring except in critical roles. "When I talk to our clients, they sound extremely cautious," Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told investors Tuesday. Reporting by Manya Saini and Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Lananh Nguyen in New York; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri, Lananh Nguyen and Anna DriverOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 29, 2022. "From the bigger picture, the Fed has hiked rates to a point where markets are expecting monetary policy to be restrictive enough to cause a mild recession." The CBOE volatility index (.VIX), also known as Wall Street's fear gauge, rose to a two-week high at 23.01 points amid increased investor anxiety. Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) slumped 2.9%, down for a third straight session over production loss worries at its Shanghai plant. The S&P index recorded two new 52-week highs and six new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 25 new highs and 149 new lows.

SummarySummary Companies Apple down, Morgan Stanley cuts Dec shipment estimateCarvana tumbles, Wedbush slashes PT to Street lowFutures down: Dow 0.25%, S&P 0.48%, Nasdaq 0.82%Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.S. stock indexes were set to open lower on Wednesday after warnings of a looming recession from major Wall Street bankers offset optimism around China relaxing its strict zero-COVID rules. Fears of a recession due to the U.S. Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes to curb inflation pulled the S&P 500 (.SPX) lower for a fourth straight session on Tuesday, with all major Wall Street indexes ending down 1%-2%. "From the bigger picture, the Fed has hiked rates to a point where markets are expecting monetary policy to be restrictive enough to cause a mild recession." The CBOE volatility index (.VIX), also known as Wall Street's fear gauge, rose to a two-week high at 23.01 points amid increased investor anxiety. ET, Dow e-minis were down 85 points, or 0.25%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 19 points, or 0.48%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 94.75 points, or 0.82%.

☆ Wall Street cuts jobs as grim economic reality sets in - Lazard CEO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 7 (Reuters) - Wall Street banks are adjusting to a more sluggish economic environment by laying off staff even as they compete to retain and recruit top talent, Kenneth Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of Lazard Ltd (LAZ.N), told investors at a conference Wednesday. "Reality is starting to set in," said Jacobs, who was speaking generally about job cuts that were being reported across the financial industry. Reporting by Lananh Nguyen in New York and Manya Saini and Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stocks dip as growth fears offset China COVID shift
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Danilo Masoni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Now, concerns over economic growth seem to be overtaking those over inflation," he added. The darkening economic outlook initially drove safe-haven demand for the U.S. dollar and longer-dated bonds but these moves partially reversed by early afternoon in Europe. In foreign exchange markets, the U.S. dollar reversed initial gains, as traders weighed up an uncertain economic outlook. The U.S. dollar index fell 0.35% to 105.18 after hitting earlier in the session a near one-week high, trending closer to the June 2022 low of 104.10 hit on Monday. The Canadian dollar was steady at 1.365 per dollar ahead of an expected rate hike from the Bank of Canada later on Wednesday.

☆ Futures fall on growing fears of recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Futures down: Dow 0.11%, S&P 0.21%, Nasdaq 0.30%Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Wednesday after warnings of a looming recession from major Wall Street bankers offset optimism around the easing of China's strict zero-COVID rules. Fears of a recession due to the U.S. Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes to curb inflation pulled the S&P 500 (.SPX) lower for a fourth straight session on Tuesday, with all major Wall Street indexes closing down 1-2%. ET, Dow e-minis were down 36 points, or 0.11%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 8.25 points, or 0.21%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 34.75 points, or 0.3%. Among other stocks, GameStop Corp (GME.N) jumped 1.1% ahead of its third-quarter results where it is expected to report a 4.5% rise in revenue. Reporting by Shubham Batra and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"Now, concerns over economic growth seem to be overtaking those over inflation," he added. The darkening economic outlook drove fresh safe-haven demand for the U.S. dollar on Wednesday and longer-dated bonds extended their gains, while oil eased after a sharp fall on Tuesday. The Australian dollar was broadly steady at $0.669 despite Australian third-quarter growth coming in a bit below forecasts. The Canadian dollar was at 1.3675 per dollar ahead of an expected rate hike from the Bank of Canada later on Wednesday. The U.S. dollar index rose 0.1% to 105.6, further above the June 2022 low of 104.1 hit on Monday.

☆ S&P 500 sees 5th straight decline as recession fears weigh on US stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The S&P 500 notched its fifth consecutive losing session, and the Nasdaq Composite marked a fourth straight loss. Major banks are sounding the alarm on recession worries and potentially sharp losses in 2023. A slump in Chinese trade in November underscored global recession fears. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. The S&P 500 notched its fifth consecutive losing session with eight of its 11 sectors moving lower, led by the communications services group.

☆ Wall Street banks to cut bonuses ahead of expected slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | 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 EmailWall Street banks to cut bonuses ahead of expected slowdownLydia Moynihan, New York Post reporter, joins CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to explain why Wall Street bonuses are set to decline by an expected 20% this year.

☆ US stocks stretch losing streak as China trade slump underscores recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US stocks fell Wednesday and were on track to extend a run of losses. A slump in Chinese trade in November highlighted global recession worries. Chinese trade figures released Wednesday underscored recession fears even as the world's second-largest economy continued to roll back its zero-COVID policy measures related to quarantines and testing. Official data released by the government showed exports in November contracted by 8.7% in November from a year earlier, the worst decline since February 2020 when the COVID outbreak was starting to spread worldwide. Here's what else is happening today:Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon sees just a 35% chance the Fed avoids a recession.

☆ The stock market may retest this year's lows and returns will be nearly flat in 2023, Goldman Sachs chief equities strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Stocks may retest lows this year and returns will be near-flat in 2023, according to Goldman Sachs' chief equities strategist David Kostin. The S&P 500 may hit 3,600 in the near term, as companies have revise 2023 earnings forecasts lower, he warned. Next year, the S&P 500 could see nearly flat returns, Kostin added, estimating that it could end 2023 at 3,750 to 4,000. "Therefore, if valuations are roughly at these levels – that's an optimistic scenario in my opinion – and there's not much earnings growth, you basically have a flat market," Kostin warned. And while the S&P 500 is down 17% from levels in January, the price-to-earnings ratio of the index is currently hovering around a multiple of 18.

SHANGHAI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - China's yuan , firmed past the closely watched 7-per-dollar level on Monday, hitting its strongest since mid-September, as Beijing eased some of its strict COVID-19 curbs, potentially attracting fresh foreign inflows. The Chinese currency was also bolstered by expectations of slower U.S. interest rate hikes, which knocked the dollar index to near five-month lows. But some warn that China's road for economic recovery could be bumpy and that the yuan will remain volatile. The onshore yuan jumped roughly 1.4% to as high as 6.9507 on Monday morning, its strongest since Sept. 13, tracking the central bank's firmer midpoint guidance . Last week, the yuan jumped about 1.6%, its biggest weekly gain since 2005 amid expectations authorities will continue to loosen strict COVID curbs.

☆ From Bank of America to Morgan Stanley, Wall Street giants are expecting stocks to crash more than 20% next year. Here's what they've been saying.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Three major Wall Street banks expect the S&P 500 to tank over 20% at some point next year. Here's what Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank say about what could drag stocks lower. For Bank of America, a Federal Reserve-induced liquidity crisis could put pressure on the S&P 500 stock index. Here's where the S&P 500 is headed, and why, according to the major banks. He added lower earnings will cause intense pain for larger-cap stocks, and not just tech stocks.

☆ Wall Street Week Ahead: Wall Street hunts for recession plays to weather potential 2023 turbulence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

JPMorgan, Citi and BlackRock are among those who believe a recession is likely in 2023. Nevertheless, many on Wall Street are increasing allocations to areas of the market that have a reputation for outperforming during uncertain economic times. The S&P 500 Health Care sector is down around 1.7% year-to-date, handily beating the broader index's performance. JPMorgan's analysts forecast a "mild recession" and expect the S&P 500 to test its 2022 lows in the first quarter of next year. Signs of ebbing inflation have fueled hopes that the Fed may tighten monetary policy less than expected, supporting a rebound in the S&P 500 that has buoyed the index from its October low.

☆ Wall Street bankers to see bonuses shrink as dealmaking sputters - Bloomberg Law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 2 (Reuters) - Wall Street banks are weighing plans to slash bonuses this year, Bloomberg Law reported on Friday, as investment banking comes under pressure from choppy markets and a high interest-rate environment. Citigroup Inc (C.N) and Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) are considering cutting bonus pools by as much as 30%, the report said, citing people with knowledge of the internal deliberations. JPMorgan Chase and Co , the biggest U.S. bank by assets, is also planning bonus cuts, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Compensation and performance discussions typically begin in December as senior executives give indications about overall bonus pools that will be negotiated and finalized toward year-end. Citigroup and Bank of America declined to comment on the matter, while JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

☆ Citi names 6 global stocks that capture both 'defensive growth and value'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Growth stocks have been hit hard by a combination of rising rates and forecasts of an impending recession. But rather than pivoting toward an entirely defensive portfolio, Citi says investors might do better with a portfolio of stocks ranked high for value, growth and defensiveness simultaneously. Citi named U.S.-listed IT giant Accenture , trucking company Old Dominion and U.K.'s online car portal Auto Trader as "low risk, quality and growth" stocks. The Citi analysts said they screened the MSCI World index of 1,500 stocks for companies in the top quantiles for growth, low risk and quality simultaneously. "There are also several months where there is no overlap at all for value and in the past year the overlap of growth and defensive stocks has dropped from 25 to around 5," the analysts added.

☆ As Wall Street strikes a bearish tone, these global stocks with margin growth could be safe bets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

After what has been a tumultuous year for stocks, many investors are hoping that markets are at a turning point. Defensive stocks ArcelorMittal , the world's largest steelmaker, made CNBC's screen. The stock is rated buy by nearly 60% of analysts covering it, who give it potential upside of 26.3%. The company is expected to grow its margin by 17.9% next year and analysts give it potential upside of 23.4%. Analysts give the stock potential upside of 34.8%.

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