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☆ China PMI: Factory activity contracts for fifth straight month. Demand for services is also slowing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Factory activity in China contracted for a fifth straight month in August, adding pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus measures to bolster the faltering economy. It was the third straight month that the index had improved from the previous month, and was better than economists were expecting. The non-manufacturing PMI, which measures business activity in services and construction, stood at 51 this month, down from 51.5 in July, according to the NBS. “The PMI surveys suggest a slight improvement in economic activity in August,” wrote analysts from Capital Economics. Some of these moves may have started to bear fruit this month, analysts said.

Persons: ”, Si Wei, Robert Carnell Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Factory, government’s National Bureau of Statistics, PMI, NBS, Capital Economics, ING Group, Capital Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, —, Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, Asia, Pacific

☆ Stocks are poised to tumble - and many Americans are 'prisoners in their own homes' after mortgage rates soared, top economist David Rosenberg says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Stocks are set to slump and many Americans are "prisoners in their own homes," David Rosenberg says. Rising rates have driven up mortgage costs, deterring many sellers, the economist says. The Rosenberg Research president laid out several reasons why he believes asset prices have soared to unsustainable highs. The central bank might keep forging ahead with further hikes to interest rates as a result, turning the screw on the stock market and the economy, he said. He underlined the Fed's decision to cut interest rates to almost zero in 2020 and 2021, which allowed homeowners to lock in long-term mortgages at rates of 2% to 3%.

Persons: David Rosenberg, Cash, Rosenberg, Merrill Lynch Organizations: Service, Rosenberg, North, Fed, New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Locations: Wall, Silicon, North American

☆ Op-Ed: Less affordable homes don't just ruin American dreams, they're a threat to the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Michael Farr | Keith B. Davis | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The National Association of Realtors said earlier this month that its housing affordability index fell during the second quarter to its lowest level on record. Not coincidentally, the first quarter of 2021 turned out to the be peak in housing affordability. The consequence has been the massive drop in housing affordability to new lows. But still, housing affordability is as low as it's been since at least 1986. Given its importance to the wider economy, a robust housing market will likely be a precondition to achieving a relatively seamless transition to long-term economic expansion.

Persons: It's, Freddie Mac, Justin Lahart, it's Organizations: National Association of Realtors, Fed

☆ Stock Market News Today: Dow Slips 150 Points; Tesla and Zoom Stocks in Focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Yields on longer-term U.S. Treasurys are rising again, putting renewed pressure on stocks. Stocks opened broadly higher but retraced some of those gains as yields climbed. Volatility in stocks this month has some traders turning to one-day options . The benchmark CSI 300 lost 1.4% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell deeper into a bear market. China’s faltering economy remains in focus for investors, after key bank lending rates weren't cut as much as the market was expecting.

Persons: –, Stocks, Ben Eisen, Rachel Louise Ensign, Jerome Powell, Jackson Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow, . Tech, Nvidia, Microsoft, Treasury, CSI, Labor Locations: U.S, Europe

☆ Stock Market Today: Dow Futures Rise; Tesla Stock Gains Premarket
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The robust U.S. economy has raised expectations of higher-for-longer borrowing costs, and Treasury yields have hit decade-plus highs in recent days. Treasury yields gained. The benchmark CSI 300 lost 1.4% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell deeper into a bear market. European natural gas prices jumped again. Labor disputes in Australia’s energy industry have driven up gas prices in Europe more than 30% in August.

Persons: Dow industrials, Brent, Jerome Powell, Jackson Organizations: Treasury, Nasdaq, CSI, Labor Locations: Europe

☆ China vows to coordinate support to resolve local government debt risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Headquarters of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 20 (Reuters) - China will coordinate financial support to resolve local government debt problems, the central bank said in a statement on Sunday, as policymakers look to shore up an increasingly shaky economic recovery and reassure worried investors. Financial departments should coordinate support to resolve local debt risks, enrich tools to prevent and resolve debt risks, strengthen risk monitoring and firmly hold the line on avoiding systemic risk, according to the PBOC statement. Bloomberg reported on Aug. 11 that China will offer local governments a combined 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) in bond issuance quotas for refinancing. "Financial support to the real economy must be strong enough" while major banks should increase lending, the statement said.

Persons: Jason Lee, Fitch, Pan Gongsheng, Xiao Yuanqi, Li Chao, PBOC, Ellen Zhang, Siyi Liu, Ryan Woo, Kim Coghill Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Communist Party, Bloomberg, PBOC, National Financial Regulatory, China Securities Regulatory, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

United States and Chinese flags are set up before a meeting between U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, Saturday, July 8, 2023. The U.S. economy expanded 1.2% in the second quarter, following 1.6% growth in the first three months of the year. Meanwhile, China's growth outlook continues to darken. "We may see similar growth rates between the U.S. and China, which is a concern for China because it is much poorer per capita," she added. The historic highs and lows of U.S. and Chinese economic surprises, respectively, will likely revert to mean as analysts adjust their expectations.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Mark Schiefelbein, That's, Goldman Sachs, Desmond Lachman, Dirk Willer, Jamie McGeever, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Treasury, Rights, Atlanta Fed's, Barclays, Goldman, American Enterprise Institute, Reuters, Center for Strategic, International Studies, U.S, World Bank, Citi, Thomson Locations: United States, Diaoyutai, Beijing, China, Rights ORLANDO , Florida, U.S

☆ China's banks have dialed back lending to the lowest level in 14 years as economic woes pile up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In July, the volume of loans doled out from Chinese banks hit their lowest amount since 2009. The People's Bank of China said new loans reached 345.9 billion yuan in July, less than half the amount expected by Bloomberg economists. Chinese banks doled out 345.9 billion yuan in new loans last month, well below the 780 billion yuan economists had expected, according to a Bloomberg report and survey. Additionally, the People's Bank of China said year-on-year growth of broad M2 money supply slowed to 10.7%. On Tuesday, the People's Bank of China cut several interest rates in a bid to boost the economy, following a similar move in June.

Persons: David Dollar Organizations: People's Bank of China, Bloomberg, Service, People's Bank of, Brookings Locations: Wall, Silicon, People's Bank of China, China

☆ Morning Bid: China property troubles plague Asia stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. Core inflation actually doubled to 0.8% y/y and the drop in consumer prices was largely driven by year-ago volatility in pork prices. That puts the focus on retail sales on Tuesday where a rise of 4.7% is forecast, though a wide range of estimates from +2.8% to +10.8% suggests a surprise is possible. The same goes for U.S. retail sales on Tuesday where the median is for a 0.4% increase, but BofA is tipping 0.7% based on credit and debit spending in the month. The dollar is also flying on the Aussie and kiwi and a range of emerging Asian currencies, which are being dumped as proxies for China risk.

Persons: Wayne Cole, It's, it's, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Wayne, Asia, China, Beijing

The reading was also much lower than 679 billion yuan in July 2022. "China’s bank loan growth fell to its lowest in seven months in July, while broad credit growth dropped to a record low," Capital Economics said in a note to clients. Hobbled by weak demand at home and abroad, China's economic momentum has faltered in recent months despite strong bank lending in the first half. Outstanding yuan loans expanded by 11.1% in July from the year before, the lowest so far this year, compared with 11.3% growth the previous month. In July, TSF slumped to 528.2 billion yuan from 4.22 trillion yuan in June.

Persons: Florence Lo, Luo Yunfeng, TSF, Qiaoyi Li, Kevin Yao, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Huajin Securities, Analysts, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, Central, TSF

☆ What Biden's executive order means for U.S. investors in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Chris Hondros | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — The Biden administration's long-awaited executive order on U.S. investments in Chinese companies leaves open plenty of questions on how it will be implemented. "The executive order obviously gives an outline of what the program's scope is going to be like," said Brian P. Curran, a partner, global regulatory at law firm Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. "It's not even a proposed rule. U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at restricting U.S. investments into Chinese semiconductor, quantum computing and artificial intelligence companies over national security concerns. This week's announcements don't explicitly prohibit U.S. investments into Chinese businesses, but the documents indicate what policymakers are focused on. But the Treasury said it may request information about transactions completed or agreed to since the issuance of the executive order.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Chris Hondros, Biden, Brian P, Curran, Hogan Lovells, It's, Joe Biden, Janet Yellen, Winston Ma, what's, We've, Anne Salladin, Jonathan Levy, Pitchbook Organizations: U.S, Getty, Wednesday, Treasury Department, NYU Law, CIC, Treasury, University, Bank, Global, University of Chicago, China VC, China Locations: New York, BEIJING, Washington ,, China, U.S, Greenfield, United States, Pitchbook

☆ Markets may be on a tear this year, but the economy is under the most pressure since 2008 and could still easily fall into recession, research firm says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Markets have rallied this year, but the US is still facing a significant risk of recession, Capital Economics warned. That's because financial conditions are the tightest they've been since 2008. That's led to the tightest financial conditions since 2008, the firm said, pointing to financial condition indexes, or FCIs, which show financial conditions in US, Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan nearing Great Recession levels. Capital Economics' broad financial conditions indexes show financial conditions at their tightest since 2008 across most tracked economies. Interest rates on consumer credit have spiked past 8%, which is one of the largest drivers of tight financial conditions, the firm said.

Persons: they've, That's, Simon MacAdam Organizations: Capital Economics, Service, Federal Reserve, Capital, New York Fed, Atlanta Fed Locations: Wall, Silicon, Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan

☆ Latest China developer debt woes could spur policy aid, but industry downbeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. China’s property sector, which accounts for a quarter of the economy, has already seen a string of debt defaults by cash-squeezed developers since late 2021, with China Evergrande Group, the world’s most indebted property developer, at the centre of the crisis. Contagion fears in the market re-surfaced last month when four high-profile developers signalled liquidity stress amid slumping home sales nation-wide. Country Garden declined to comment on the investment bank reports. JP Morgan noted that if Country Garden still defaulted after policies aiming at boosting liquidity for developers, it would show that “there is no guarantee of survival”.

Persons: Aly, Dalian Wanda, Garden’s, ”, “, JP Morgan, Evergrande, ” JP Morgan, ” Morgan Stanley, Stephen Cheung Organizations: Reuters, Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, Garden, China Evergrande Group, Group, Greenland Holdings, Dalian Wanda Group, Dalian, HSBC, Communist Party Locations: HONG KONG, Shanghai, China, Greenland

☆ Analysis-Latest China developer debt woes could spur policy aid, but industry downbeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Analysis: Latest China developer debt woes could spur policy aid, but industry downbeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. China's property sector, which accounts for a quarter of the economy, has already seen a string of debt defaults by cash-squeezed developers since late 2021, with China Evergrande Group (3333.HK), the world's most indebted property developer, at the centre of the crisis. Contagion fears in the market re-surfaced last month when four high-profile developers signalled liquidity stress amid slumping home sales nation-wide. Country Garden declined to comment on the investment bank reports. JP Morgan noted that if Country Garden still defaulted after policies aiming at boosting liquidity for developers, it would show that "there is no guarantee of survival".

Persons: Aly, HONG KONG, Dalian Wanda, Garden's, JP Morgan, Evergrande, Morgan Stanley, Stephen Cheung, Clare Jim, Kevin Yao, Kim Coghill Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, HK, Garden, Reuters, China Evergrande, Ocean Group, Greenland Holdings, Dalian Wanda Group, Dalian, HSBC, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HK, Greenland, Beijing

☆ Peachtree CEO talks commercial real estate turning to private credit as banks pullback lending
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | 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 EmailPeachtree CEO talks commercial real estate turning to private credit as banks pullback lendingGreg Friedman, Peachtree CEO, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss a rising trend in commercial real estate private credit loans, and how private creditors can benefit from the pullback in direct bank lending to commercial real estate.

Persons: Greg Friedman Organizations: Peachtree

Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai, China October 19, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoAug 8 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. China's July trade data top a heavy regional economic calendar on Tuesday, with current account, bank lending and household spending reports from Japan, current account data from South Korea and Australian consumer sentiment also on tap. But for the world's manufacturing and factory engine, focus is on the alarming weakness in exports. At -54.7, it is at its 'highest' level since June 30, but will soon be heading lower again if Tuesday's trade data disappoint.

Persons: Aly, Jamie McGeever, swatted, John Williams, Dow, Japan's Organizations: REUTERS, Wall, Treasury, New, Nasdaq, Equity, Nikon, Mazda, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Shanghai, China, Asia, Japan, South Korea, Beijing, U.S, Australia

☆ From banking giants to lending up-and-comers — here are the world's top 200 fintech companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Statista identified 40 firms as top digital payments companies. While digital payments is often the area that draws most investor buzz, lending generates more money in financial services. Statista identified 25 fintech companies that fall into the category of top alternate lending firms. They include American small business lending firm Biz2Credit, Irish e-commerce lending company Wayflyer, and Latvian loan refinancing startup Mintos. Digital business solutions

Persons: Monzo, there's, Statista, Afterpay, It's, Binance, eToro, Equity crowdfunding, hasn't, Peter Hazlehurst Organizations: JPMorgan —, Orange, Digital, U.S, SEC, European, Education, Equity, Republic, Tech, Federal Reserve, Bank of England, CNBC, Solaris Locations: fintech, Europe, Nigeria, Orange, Africa, Terra, U.S, Cayman Islands, American, Latvian, U.K

☆ Saudi Arabia is grappling with rising borrowing costs as it embarks on massive spending plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It's getting more expensive for Saudi Arabia to borrow, with a key lending rate hitting a record 6%. The Gulf Kingdom plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars as part of its Vision 2030 project. It plans to fund those efforts with a combination of oil revenue and borrowed cash. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Saudi Arabia has also slashed its oil output by around 10%, or 1 million barrels a day, in a bid to bring in more revenue from its crude exports by squeezing up prices.

Persons: It's, Mohamed bin Salman, That's, bin Salman, LIV Golf Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Investment Fund, English Premier League soccer, Newcastle United, PGA Tour Locations: Saudi Arabia, Gulf Kingdom, Wall, Silicon, Gulf, Saudi, Refinitiv, SAIBOR

The Fed last week raised its policy rate to the 5.25%-5.50% range, the 11th increase in the last 12 meetings. Core inflation is still pretty elevated," Powell said in a press conference after the end of the Fed's two-day policy meeting. We think we're going to need to hold policy at restrictive levels for some time. The Fed's policy rate influences the economy by changing what lenders charge consumers for credit card, auto, and home loans or what businesses pay on bonds or for credit lines. "Given that inflation is still sticky, they're going to end up with rates either too high or as high as they are for too long.

Persons: Antulio Bomfim, Bomfim, what's, Jerome Powell, Powell, Lindsay Owens, Thomas Simons, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Paul Simao Organizations: Trust Asset Management, Fed, Reuters Graphics Reuters, STAR, North Star, Open, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: U.S

This will leave investors guessing whether another rate hike is coming or if July marks the end of the ECB's fastest-ever tightening spree. "The Governing Council will continue to follow a data-dependent approach to determining the appropriate level and duration of restriction," the ECB added. While markets had fully priced in another rate hike just a few weeks ago, a growing number of investors are betting that Thursday's move will be the last. More tightening would however be consistent with comments from a host of policymakers, including ECB board member Isabel Schnabel, that raising rates too far would still be less costly than not lifting them high enough. This is a key reason why the balance of expectations has started to shift away from another rate hike, with economists increasingly focusing on how long rates will stay high.

Persons: Isabel Schnabel, Jerome Powell, Christine Lagarde, Catherine Evans Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB, U.S . Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT

SYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Foreign bank lending to Australian office real estate hit a record high in the first quarter as overseas lenders continued to stump up cash for a struggling corner of the property market out of favour with local banks. The data does not identify individual banks, however a separate dataset covering overall corporate lending showed European, Japanese, Singaporean and Chinese banks had led the increase in foreign lending since 2019. Loans from Australia's biggest banks fell A$2.3 billion to A$83 billion over the same period, similar to levels in late 2021, the data showed. So, as Australian lenders have retreated to the relative safety of retail mortgages, foreign banks have stepped up. Sydney was the worst-performing major Asian office market in the first quarter, according to research from global property services firm Jones Lang LaSalle.

Persons: Jonathan Kearns, Kearns, Jones Lang LaSalle, Lewis Jackson, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, prudential, Australia's, Challenger, Reserve Bank of Australia, Reuters, Sydney, Investment, Thomson Locations: Australia, Asia, Europe

☆ European Central Bank set to hike rates as it edges closer to a pivot point
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Annette Weisbach | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT — The European Central Bank is set to hike rates once again on Thursday with market analysts certain that the Frankfurt intuition is nearing a peak despite inflation remaining stubbornly high. But as a July hike is widely expected, the real question at this week's meeting will be what will happen in September? "We expect the ECB to follow through on the signaled hike this week to 3.75%," said Mark Wall, a chief economist at Deutsche Bank, to CNBC. "The weaker than expected PMI data and bank lending survey highlight the Governing Council's wisdom in leaving the outcome of the September policy meeting open," he added. This sharp rise in rates can have severe effects on loan growth in the euro area and thus on economic activity.

Persons: Mark Wall Organizations: FRANKFURT, European Central Bank, ECB, Deutsche Bank, CNBC Locations: Frankfurt, Ukraine

☆ Key U.S. credit metrics that will inform the Fed's policy moves
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Safiyah Riddle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Just how freely credit is flowing - and is likely to flow in the near term - is a key input. A valuable guide to that is the Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices (SLOOS), a quarterly survey of commercial banks that Fed officials consider as they debate policy moves. The Fed's SLOOS splits credit demand into several main categories, including firms of varying sizes for commercial and industrial loans, commercial and residential real estate and other consumer loans such as credit cards and auto loans. Demand for commercial real estate loans plummeted as remote work diminished the value of office space. By contrast, demand for credit card lending dropped more modestly, propped up by robust consumer spending and healthy household balance sheets.

Persons: Safiyah Riddle, Dan Burns Organizations: Federal Reserve, Senior, Bank Lending, Fed, Silicon Valley Bank, Securities, Dallas Fed, Thomson Locations: Silicon, U.S

☆ Interest rates just went up again: What the latest Fed move means for you
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And the Fed’s preferred inflation measure — the core Personal Consumption Expenditures Index — inched down to 4.6% in its latest reading. Credit cards remain very expensiveWhen Fed rates go up, so do credit card rates. So it’s not surprising that card rates in the past year have been trending at around 20-year highs. As of July 19, the average credit card interest rate is 20.44%, down slightly from the 20.58% recorded the week before, according to Bankrate.com. Second-quarter data from the Fed shows the average rate for them is 22.16%.

Persons: ”, Greg McBride, Michele Raneri, you’ll, it’s, Matt Schulz, Cardholders, Freddie Mac, they’d, McBride, Anna Bahney Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, Consumer, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Fed, LendingTree Locations: New York

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