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☆ Instant View: China's Q2 GDP growth slows to 0.8% q/q, raises stimulus expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

"Consumers are not spending, mainly driven by the bleak outlook for the property market. Disappointing retail numbers and property market sales show it doesn't seem that the boost from rate cuts is sufficient. ..the property market is beginning another slowdown - the government will have to come up with more stimulus for property." "Nonetheless, we think more stimulus is required to stabilise and restore confidence in the property market." ZHIWEI ZHANG, CHIEF ECONOMIST, PINPOINT ASSET MANAGEMENT, HONG KONG"Nominal GDP growth turns out to be lower than real GDP growth in Q2, the first time since comparable data are available in Q4 2016.

Persons: CHRISTOPHER WONG, LOUIS KUIJS, CAROL KONG, XING ZHAOPENG, KEN CHEUNG, ALVIN TAN, VISHNU VARATHAN, MARCO SUN, CHEN, TONY SYCAMORE, ZHIWEI ZHANG, JING LIU Organizations: Gross, National Bureau, Statistics, Shanghai, NBS, BANK OF, ANZ, MIZUHO BANK, OF, OF ASIA FX, RBC, MUFG BANK, IG, SYDNEY, Friday's, BANK OF SINGAPORE, HSBC, stoke, Authorities, Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: U.S, SINGAPORE, ASIA, HONG KONG, SYDNEY, CHINA, SHANGHAI, OF ASIA, China

☆ China's youth unemployment rate just hit a new high and its GDP growth missed analysts' expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China's youth unemployment rate hit a new high, and its GDP grew by 6.3% in the second quarter. Analysts polled by Reuters expected China's economy to have grown by 7.3%. After an initial spurt, China's economy is struggling to recover from three years of COVID-19 restrictions. Economists polled by Reuters expected China's GDP to grow by 7.3% during the second quarter of the year. China's economy grew 3% in 2022 and Beijing has set a 5% GDP growth target this year.

Persons: Vishnu Varathan, Varathan Organizations: Reuters, Service, Privacy, Mizuho Bank Locations: Wall, Silicon, China, Beijing

☆ China's quarterly report card is in, and it's bad — but Beijing is unlikely to step in and prop up the economy just yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China posted GDP growth of 6.3% in the second quarter of 2023, badly missing expectations. Even so, China is unlikely to unleash major stimulus measures to boost the economy because it's already in so much debt. And while the GDP did grow year-on-year, it bears noting that the comparison is with a low base from last year when China's economy was battered by on-off COVID-19 restrictions. "There are growing hopes for 'big bang' stimulus to fire up China's growth," Vishnu Varathan, the head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank, wrote in a Monday note before China's second-quarter GDP release. The inherent risk with such high debt levels is that a default threatens a domino impact on the Chinese economy — and even the world.

Persons: Vishnu Varathan, China's, Liu Guoqiang, Zhu Min, Robert Carnell, ING's, Carnell, Nomura Organizations: Service, Reuters, Mizuho Bank, Bloomberg, International Monetary Fund, Asia Pacific Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, Tianjin

☆ Monetary stimulus would weigh on the Chinese yuan, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | 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 EmailMonetary stimulus would weigh on the Chinese yuan, analyst saysVishnu Varathan, Mizuho Bank's head of economics and strategy, says markets are leaning toward optimism when it comes to China tech and growth stocks, but the Chinese yuan remains "a lot more vulnerable to downside risks."

Persons: Vishnu Varathan, Mizuho Bank's Locations: China

☆ Despite significant disagreements between China and the US, the world is 'big enough for both countries to thrive': Janet Yellen
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen concluded her trip to China on Sunday with an appeal for both nations to find 'a way to live together.' 'We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive,' she said. We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive," she said, according to a transcript of her speech on Sunday. John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy for climate change, is slated for a visit to China later this month, per Bloomberg. Despite Yellen's optimism, at least one analyst feels that relations between the US and China remain tenuous.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, Biden, Yellen's, Antony Blinken's, Xi Jinping, John Kerry, Vishnu Varathan Organizations: Service, US, of Commerce, Eurasia Group, Biden, U.S, Bloomberg, Mizuho Bank's Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Mizuho Bank's Asia, Oceania

☆ China opens a new era of 'proactive easing' as the economic recovery turns sour
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI, CHINA - NOVEMBER 04, 2022: Buildings at Lujiazui Financial District are illuminated to celebrate the opening ceremony of the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) on November 4, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesStock Chart Icon Stock chart iconPointing to soft economic figures from China, including credit data, Citi economists said "stimulus seems to be underway with the weak readings." Barclays economists, writing in a Tuesday note titled "Entering a rate cut cycle," predict China will deliver a cut for every quarter until early 2024. China's central bank controls the benchmark one-year lending and deposit rates, which affect the borrowing costs for banks, businesses and individuals across the country. Mizuho Bank's Head of Economics and Strategy for Asia Vishnu Varathan argued that the latest actions from China's central bank "does not cut it."

Persons: 50bp, Jian Chang, Goldman Sachs, Hui Shan, Asia Vishnu Varathan Organizations: Lujiazui Financial, 5th China, Visual China, Getty, Citi, Barclays, Bank's, Economics Locations: SHANGHAI, CHINA, Shanghai, China, Asia

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck that Trala, a startup offering virtual violin lessons, used to raise $8 million from investors like Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

TralaTrala is a startup that helps adult violin students learn to play from virtual lessons. Now, the company has raised $8 million in Series A funding led by Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six. For Trala cofounder and CEO Sam Walder, music has always been a huge part of his life. That app, called Trala, allows students to take virtual violin lessons with an instructor, and follow a practice and lesson plan. Check out the 18-slide pitch deck that edtech startup Trala used to raise $8 million in Series A funding:

Persons: Vishnu Indukuri, Sam Walder, Alexis Ohanian's Seven, Alexis Ohanian, Trala, Indukuri Organizations: University of Illinois, Seven Locations: University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign

☆ Stocks rise on US debt ceiling deal but China drags
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

S&P 500 futures rose 0.3% while Nasdaq futures firmed 0.5%. After weeks of negotiations, congressional Republican McCarthy and Biden agreed on Saturday to avert an economically destabilising default by suspending the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until 2025. In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) rose 0.2%, with falls in Chinese and Hong Kong shares offsetting gains seen elsewhere. U.S. shares rallied at the end of last week on hopes of a debt ceiling deal and bets on artificial intelligence firms. Elsewhere in the currency markets, the dollar index - a measure of the greenback against its major peers - was a touch lower at 104.17 as risk-sensitive currencies staged a rebound.

☆ Asian shares, US futures rise on debt ceiling deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The positive news lifted S&P 500 futures 0.2% in Asia while Nasdaq futures firmed 0.4%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) gained 0.3%, after a 1.1% drop the previous week. Two-year yields hit a 2-1/2 month high of 4.6390% on Friday on markets bets of higher Federal Reserve rates for longer. U.S. shares rallied at the end of last week on hopes of a debt ceiling deal and on optimism about artificial intelligence. However, it is still not too far from a two month high hit on Friday.

SINGAPORE, May 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar fell slightly from a five-week high on Monday after a period of strength that has confused analysts. The euro was up 0.27% against the dollar on Monday at $1.088, rebounding after falling 1.54% the previous week. That helped send the dollar index , which measures the greenback against six major peers, down 0.19% to 102.49. Alvin Tan, head of Asia FX strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said a pick-up in U.S. bond yields over the last two days had supported the currency. "If you remove the uncertainty around the debt ceiling situation, the sentiment has been turning bearish against the dollar," said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ.

☆ Dollar rises to 5-week high on inflation worries; lira falls
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Worries over a debt-ceiling standoff on raising the U.S. government's $31.4 trillion borrowing limit also lent some support to the safe-haven dollar. "Now that the Fed is sort of out of the way, inflation in the U.S. has come in softer than expected. The Japanese currency dipped as low as 136.27 per dollar, and was last about 0.3% lower at 136.17 per dollar. The dollar was last up 0.28% at 19.635 Turkish lira after earlier jumping to 19.70 for the first time since March 10. The U.S. currency sank 0.72% to 33.735 baht in onshore Thai trading, and earlier dipped as much as 0.92%.

☆ Dollar awaits inflation data, rattled by debt ceiling impasse
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, May 10 (Reuters) - The dollar seesawed on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden and top lawmakers made no headway in the debt ceiling crisis, although volatility was minimal ahead of inflation data that could be instrumental in determining where interest rates head. The dollar held onto most of Tuesday's gains, thanks to another sharp rise in short-dated Treasury yields and to the nervousness that prevailed over Wednesday's U.S. inflation data. The euro was last down 0.1% at $1.0947, as was sterling , which eased 0.1% to $1.2605. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar index edged up 0.14% to 101.76, having earlier fallen by as much as 0.11%. The Japanese yen was steady against the dollar at 135.25 and fell 0.1% against the euro to 148.075, while the Australian dollar fell 0.2% to $0.675.

☆ Dollar braces for inflation, rattled by debt ceiling impasse
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, May 10 (Reuters) - The dollar seesawed on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden and top lawmakers made no headway in the debt ceiling crisis, although volatility was minimal ahead of inflation data that could be instrumental in determining where interest rates head. Biden, McCarthy and the three other top congressional leaders are set to meet again on Friday. The dollar held onto most of Tuesday's gains, thanks to another sharp rise in short-dated Treasury yields and to the nervousness that prevailed over Wednesday's U.S. inflation data. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index steadied at 101.64. Elsewhere, the Japanese yen was steady against the dollar at 135.25 and against the euro at 148.155, while the Australian dollar eased 0.1% to $0.6755.

☆ Dollar softer as US debt ceiling crisis unresolved, inflation data eyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, May 10 (Reuters) - The dollar weakened broadly on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden and top lawmakers failed to break a deadlock on the debt ceiling crisis, though currency moves were marginal amid caution ahead of U.S. inflation data later in the day. The two, however, agreed to further talks and committed their aides to daily discussions about areas of possible agreement. "There has been a lot of attention lately on the debt ceiling issues," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). Also preoccupying investors was U.S. inflation data, with economists polled by Reuters expecting a 5.5% year-on-year increase in core consumer prices for April. "I think markets are already expecting the Bank of Japan to make some moves."

☆ Dollar softer as U.S. debt ceiling crisis unresolved, inflation data eyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An employee deals with U.S. one-hundred dollar banknotes at a bank on June 16, 2022 in Hai an, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province of China. The dollar weakened broadly on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden and top lawmakers failed to break a deadlock on the debt ceiling crisis, though currency moves were marginal amid caution ahead of U.S. inflation data later in the day. "There has been a lot of attention lately on the debt ceiling issues," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Also preoccupying investors was U.S. inflation data, with economists polled by Reuters expecting a 5.5% year-on-year increase in core consumer prices for April. "I think markets are already expecting the Bank of Japan to make some moves."

☆ Stocks slide into Fed mode, shorts stalk banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Overnight, tumbling regional bank stocks (.KRX) dragged the S&P 500 (.SPX) down 1.2% and oil dived more than 5% on fears that shaky bank confidence and signs of weakness in the U.S. job market were harbingers of a looming broader slowdown. Bonds rallied as investors reckoned the Federal Reserve, which sets policy later on Wednesday, will soon be switching from rate hikes to cuts. Among banks, PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O), down 27.8%, Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N), down 15.1%, and Comerica Inc (CMA.N) down 12.4%, were the biggest losers. If that happens, focus will be on whether or how hard Fed Chair Jerome Powell pushes back on investors' expectations for rate cuts by year's end. The Australian dollar has given back some of the ground gained on Tuesday, following a surprise rate hike from the central bank, and sat at $0.6670.

☆ Dollar slides on sluggish US data, Aussie steadies ahead of RBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Against the sliding dollar, the British pound and the Australian and New Zealand dollars rose to multi-week highs in early Asia trade on Tuesday. The kiwi rose 0.2% to $0.6310, its highest since mid-February, while the U.S. dollar index was marginally lower at 102.02, having fallen more than 0.5% on Monday. "The closest thing we get to good news in (the) report is that the slowing in the factory sector is pushing prices lower and supply chains are continuing to heal, benefiting from the slack. The RBA will pause policy tightening according to a poll of analysts, although a strong minority still forecast a hike. Data out last week showed Australian inflation slowed to an eight-month low in February, due in part to a sharp retreat in prices for holiday travel and accommodation.

☆ OPEC+ oil production cut: The surprise was in the timing, Mizuho Bank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | 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 EmailOPEC+ oil production cut: The surprise was in the timing, Mizuho Bank saysVishnu Varathan of the bank discusses OPEC+'s decision to cut more than 1 million barrels a day of oil and says the "underlying intent was never really too far off."

☆ Check out the exclusive pitch deck that Trala, a startup offering virtual violin lessons, used to raise $8 million from investors like Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Bearish bets on Asian FX return on renewed woes over Fed rate hikes - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tejaswi Marthi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A Singapore dollar note is seen in this illustration photo May 31, 2017. However, recent comments from the Fed about hiking rates for longer dampened sentiment. They turned bearish on the Thai baht , Asia's best-performing currency this year, the Singapore dollar and the Malaysian ringgit for the first time in three months. The poll uses estimates of net long or short positions on a scale of minus 3 to plus 3. The survey findings are provided below (positions in U.S. dollar versus each currency):Reporting by Tejaswi Marthi in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ These high-dividend stocks are expected to rally, with analysts giving one 60% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

High-yielding stocks are back in the spotlight as volatility persists, inflation remains hot and Treasury yields continue to rise. Canadian firm Pembina Pipeline Corporation , as well as EOG Resources, offered high dividend yields at nearly 7% and almost 6% respectively. Both are also expected to have high earnings growth ahead, with forecasts of 146% for Pembina and 62% for EOG. Analysts also give EOG average potential upside of nearly 32%. Hong Kong-listed shipping logistics firm SITC International Holdings also had a notably high dividend yield of 8.5% and nearly 60% potential upside.

☆ Biden to name Fed's Lael Brainard as top economic advisor, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Lael Brainard, vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, listens to a question during an interview in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to name Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard to the White House's top economic policy position as early as Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. Brainard would replace White House National Economic Council (NEC) Director Brian Deese, who has announced his resignation. In addition, Biden confidant Jared Bernstein is expected to replace Cecilia Rouse as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, the source said. "Under normal circumstances I would have thought that her advice to Biden would be very pro stimulus," he said.

☆ Biden to name Fed's Lael Brainard as top economic adviser - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to name Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard to the White House's top economic policy position as early as Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. Brainard would replace White House National Economic Council (NEC) Director Brian Deese, who has announced his resignation. In addition Biden confidant Jared Bernstein is expected to replace Cecilia Rouse as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, the source said. The White House declined to comment. "Under normal circumstances I would have thought that her advice to Biden would be very pro stimulus," he said.

☆ Yields are popping again. Here's how investors can take advantage of that, according to the pros
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

How can investors ride on higher yields? Buy high-quality or short-term fixed income BlackRock Investment Institute said it likes high-quality credit and short-end government bonds "as interest rates stay higher for longer." "Fixed income finally offers 'income' after yields surged globally. "We believe that investors should hold around 2% of cash in their portfolios and should use short-term fixed income (anything below a 2-year maturity) as a proxy for cash," Alvarado added. Wells Fargo Investment Institute's tactical portfolios are allocating between 2% (for "aggressive growth investors") and 17% (for conservative income investors) to short-term fixed income.

☆ Bullish bets on Asian FX ease as Fed rate-hike concerns weigh - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Himanshi Akhand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Long positions on the South Korean won , the Singapore dollar and the Indonesian rupiah eased, while market participants turned bearish on the Indian rupee , according to a fortnightly poll of 10 respondents. The dollar is currently hovering near a one-month high after blockbuster U.S. jobs data last Friday boost expectations that the Fed may continue to hike rates to tame inflation. Investors also scaled back long bets on China's yuan , to a near one-month low, the Malaysian ringgit as well as Asia's best-performing currency this year, the Thai baht . Meanwhile, investors turned slightly bearish on the Indian rupee as concerns over a rout in local equities filtered into money markets. The poll uses estimates of net long or short positions on a scale of minus 3 to plus 3.

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