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London CNN —Europe’s banks are not yet in the clear, a top EU regulator said Monday, two weeks after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the United States unleashed turmoil in the global banking sector. José Manuel Campa, the head of the European Banking Authority (EBA), told a German newspaper that European lenders remained vulnerable following the demise of SVB and the subsequent emergency rescue of Credit Suisse by UBS. The regulator is currently finalizing a study of the effects of interest rate risks on European banks, which it started working on in the fall. “The investigation is not yet concluded, but I can say already today that we don’t expect to find major institutions with significant solvency risks arising from unrealized losses,” Campa said. Meanwhile, years of mismanagement and scandal at Credit Suisse left it particularly exposed to a broad sense of unease about banks.

☆ Germany to examine Deutsche Telekom, Huawei ties - Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, March 22 (Reuters) - Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is concerned about the close ties between Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and Chinese company Huawei (HWT.UL) and wants to examine them, Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Wednesday. "That doesn't look good," Faeser was quoted as saying by the paper. Germany is considering banning certain components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE (000063.SZ) in its telecoms networks, a government source said, in a potentially significant move to address security concerns. read moreReporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Christoph SteitzOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morning Bid: Signs of confidence re-emerge after bank storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

While UBS shares were hammered in early trading on Monday after its shotgun marriage with troubled Credit Suisse following an intervention by Swiss authorities, the bank's shares pared most of the losses towards the close. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the market turmoil might do some of the ECB's work for it in dampening demand and inflation. Markets have been on high alert for central banks to raise interest rates sharply to cope with high inflation. ECB policymaker Robert Holzmann watered down his recent call for three more rate increases of 50 basis points in quick succession. Policy decision is on WednesdayReporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Bradley PerrettOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB's Holzmann waters down call for three more rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, March 20 (Reuters) - European Central Bank (ECB) policymaker Robert Holzmann on Monday watered down his recent call for three further interest-rate increases of 50 basis points in quick succession. Holzmann, who heads the Austrian National Bank, told German business daily Handelsblatt two weeks ago the ECB should raise rates by 50 basis points at each of its next four meetings because inflation was proving stubborn. That was a likely reference to how higher central bank rates and jitters in the banking sector tend to have the same effect by discouraging lending and cooling economic activity. Similarly, Holzmann said that since his Handelsblatt interview liquidity in the financial system had decreased, referring to banking stocks' recent fall on fears of a new banking crisis. Reporting by Francois Murphy and Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Germany's Scholz sees no threat of new financial crisis - Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, March 16 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sought to assuage fears that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and problems at Credit Suisse might trigger a new financial crisis, saying a more resilient banking system and stronger economy ensured savings were safe. "I do not see the risk," Scholz told German business daily Handelsblatt. "The monetary system is no longer as fragile as it was before the financial crisis," referring to events in 2008 which included the collapse of Lehman Brothers. His remarks come after Credit Suisse borrowed up to $54 billion from Switzerland's central bank to shore up its liquidity and restore investor confidence and follows the demise of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month. Not only because of the higher resilience of the banking system and stricter regulation, but also because of our economic strength," Scholz was quoted as saying.

☆ A German company is offering Ukraine the benefit — and burden — of being the first military to get its brand-new tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Prominent German defense firm Rheinmetall is offering Ukraine its new Panther Kf51 tank. Rheinmetall DefenceRheinmetall is reportedly negotiating with Ukraine to build a tank factory there, though it's not clear whether it would produce the Panther or the older Leopard 2 tank. The Kf51 Panther is a new tank with some old features. A German Leopard 2 tank in Munster in May 2019. Like the next-generation Abrams tank, the Panther's turret can be unmanned, with its crew operating the vehicle behind the thicker armor of the tank's hull.

[1/2] U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks to David Rubenstein (not pictured) during a meeting of The Economic Club of Washington, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 7, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/File PhotoMarch 7 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. Arguably the main event in Asia will be the expected quarter point rate hike from the RBA, which would take the cash rate up to 3.60%. Tuesday's focus rests squarely on the first of two Congressional appearances this week from Powell. On the Asian data front, China's FX reserves for February could cast a light on whether Beijing is starting to reduce its huge holdings of dollar-denominated assets amid the sharp rise in U.S.-Chinese tensions.

☆ ECB's Holzmann calls for four more 50 bps rate hikes- Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, March 6 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank should raise interest rates by 50 basis points at each of its next four meetings as inflation is proving to be stubborn, Austrian central bank chief Robert Holzmann told German business daily Handelsblatt. The ECB has raised rates by 3 percentage points since July and flagged a 50 basis point increase for March. Holzmann, an outspoken conservative - or hawk in policy terms - however said that based on current trends, he would favour 50 basis point moves in March, May, June and July. "I expect it to take a very long time for inflation to come down," Holzmann was quoted on Monday as saying. The four steps advocated by Holzmann would take the deposit rate to 4.5%, well above the 4% peak rate priced in by markets, a level no other policymaker has so far advocated in public.

☆ What Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and 12 other business leaders think about AI tools like ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Bill Gates - American business magnate and cofounder of MicrosoftBill Gates thinks AI has the power to change the world. Taylor Hill/Getty ImagesBill Gates thinks AI has the power to change the world. Gates said that AI is "every bit as important as the PC, as the internet," Forbes reported. Still, Gates said ChatGPT is "truly imperfect" and has seen it answer math questions "completely wrong." In terms of jobs, Gates said AI can "change our world" by making work more efficient, he told German newspaper Handelsblatt.

☆ German police use of software to fight crime unlawful, court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 16 (Reuters) - A top German court ruled on Thursday that police use of automated data analysis to prevent crime in some German states was unconstitutional, dealing a win to critics of the CIA-backed Palantir Technologies (PLTR.N) that provides the software. Provisions regulating the use of the technology in Hesse and Hamburg violate the right to informational self-determination under the German constitution, a statement from the constitutional court said. U.S.-based Palantir Technologies makes software for data analytics used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world, according to its website. In comments to the Handelsblatt newspaper, Palantir's strategy chief in Europe, Jan Hiesserich, said the company merely provides the software for processing data, not the data itself. The German Society for Civil Rights (GFF), which brought the case against police data analysis, said Palantir software used innocent people's data to form suspicions and could also produce errors, affecting people at risk of police discrimination.

☆ Factbox: Chipmakers' plans for factories in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Under the European Chips Act, the European Commission earmarked early last year a total of 15 billion euros ($16 billion) for public and private semiconductor projects by 2030. Below are some of the chipmakers' plans for factories in Europe, in alphabetical order:Infineon (IFXGn.DE):The maker of chips used in cars and data won approval to begin work on a 5 billion euro semiconductor plant in the German city of Dresden, it said on Feb. 16. Intel (INTC.O):In March 2022, Intel picked the German city of Magdeburg as the site for its new mega chip manufacturing complex, a key part of its $88 billion investment drive across Europe. STMicroelectronics (STM.BN):The Franco-Italian company said in October it plans to build a 730 million euro silicon carbide wafer plant in Italy. It also announced plans in July to build a semiconductor factory in France in partnership with GlobalFoundries (GFS.O).

☆ Mark Cuban: Internet misinformation will only ‘get worse’ as ChatGPT and its competitors grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Cuban may be entertained by chatbots like Microsoft-backed ChatGPT and Google's upcoming Bard — but he isn't ready to trust them. Right now, misinformation tends to spread through social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter — and that's with some semblance of human guardrails in place, Cuban said. But so far, the technology isn't showing itself to be smarter than the average human. That's a problem, especially for large swaths of people who don't always fact check claims they see on the internet, Cuban said. Microsoft, for its part, acknowledges that the technology behind ChatGPT isn't perfect — even as it plans to incorporate it into an upcoming version of its search engine, Bing.

☆ Bill Gates said ChatGPT will 'change our world' by making the workplace more efficient
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bill Gates said ChatGPT will "change our world" in an interview with a German newspaper. He added that the AI tool will make office jobs more efficient by writing invoices or letters. It is going to be "debated as the hottest topic of 2023," he said in another interview with Forbes. The new programs like ChatGPT will make many office jobs more efficient by helping to write invoices or letters. This will change our world," the billionaire said according to a translation of the interview published by Reuters.

☆ Bill Gates thinks A.I. like ChatGPT is the 'most important' innovation right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Improvements in artificial intelligence are the "most important" innovation at the moment, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said in an interview published Friday. Microsoft announced this week that its Bing search engine will be powered in part by ChatGPT AI technology. The optimizations that AI can offer for reading and writing, Gates said, will make a "huge impact." In healthcare and education spaces, Gates continued, AI can tangibly improve efficiency and meaningfully improve outcomes. In other words, traditional AI platforms couldn't actually process the language they were taking in.

☆ Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates: ChatGPT 'will change our world'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates believes ChatGPT, a chatbot that gives strikingly human-like responses to user queries, is as significant as the invention of the internet, he told German business daily Handelsblatt in an interview published on Friday. The new programs like ChatGPT will make many office jobs more efficient by helping to write invoices or letters. This will change our world," he said, in comments published in German. ChatGPT, developed by U.S. firm OpenAI and backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), has been rated the fastest-growing consumer app in history. Writing by Rachel More Editing by Paul CarrelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bill Gates: Nuclear waste is not a reason avoid nuclear energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Nuclear waste is not a reason to avoid using nuclear energy, according to Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist who more recently founded a next-generation nuclear energy startup, TerraPower. One common criticism of nuclear power is that nuclear reactors generate waste that stays radioactive for thousands of years. "The waste problems should not be a reason to not do nuclear," Gates said in an interview with the German business publication, Handelsblatt, published on Thursday. The volume of nuclear waste is very small, especially when compared to the energy generated, Gates said. But after a boom of nuclear power reactor construction in the 1970's and 1980's, the construction of new nuclear power generation came to a virtual standstill.

☆ VW to speed up electric shift in five-year plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) will speed up its shift to electric cars and revamp its software strategy in a five-year investment plan presented by management to the supervisory board on Friday, the automaker said in a statement. Bosses discussed how to rejig the German group's production network to accelerate the move to cleaner driving, the statement said, without elaborating. Full details of what was discussed will be presented at the company's annual media conference on March 14. A spokesperson for the works council denied the Handelsblatt report, saying jobs in Hannover were guaranteed under an agreement with the company until 2029. Reporting by Jan Schwartz; Writing by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Jan Harvey and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Intel wants 10 bln euros of government funding for plant in Germany -Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Intel (INTC.O) has provided the German economy ministry with a new calculation for a planned chip factory in the city of Magdeburg that considers almost 10 billion euros ($10.74 billion) of government funding to be necessary, business daily Handelsblatt reported on Wednesday, citing government sources. An Intel spokesperson declined to comment on the figure in Handelsblatt but was quoted as saying the group was "working very closely with government partners to close the critical cost gap". The company explains that its new demand, which exceeds the already approved funds of 6.8 billion euros ($7.3 billion), was necessary due to higher energy costs and that it would like to use a more advanced technology in the plant than initially planned, Handelsblatt said. ($1 = 0.9308 euros)Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; editing by Matthias WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) will build a $3-billion chip plant and a research and development centre in Germany, it said on Wednesday, expecting to start construction within months provided it receives subsidy approval from the European Union. Automotive supplier ZF (ZFF.UL) will invest $185 million for a stake in the chip fab and will take a majority stake in the research centre, the companies said. Wolfspeed expects to receive 20% of the investment amount in subsidies, Chief Executive Gregg Lowe told German newspaper Handelsblatt. Volkswagen, Europe's top carmaker, earlier this month warned that the chip squeeze meant 2023 would remain volatile and challenging, but expected supplies to improve. The company announced in September a new plant in the United States due for completion in 2030.

☆ Wolfspeed to announce EV chip plant in Germany, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - German chip supplier ZF Friedrichshafen (ZFF.UL) and U.S. chipmaker Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) will announce plans on Wednesday to build an electric vehicle chip plant in the Saarland region, according to three sources close to the matter. "This is an important sign that Germany continues to be attractive even in difficult circumstances for high-tech investments," he said. "Amid the concerns that the U.S. wants to divert investments from Europe with its Inflation Reduction Act, we're showing that a U.S. firm wants to invest in Germany," a German government source said. Volkswagen, Europe's top carmaker, earlier this month warned that the chip squeeze meant 2023 would remain volatile and challenging, but expected supplies to improve. Wolfspeed specialises in silicon carbide chips, which have been gaining traction with electric car makers as they can handle high voltages and are more power efficient.

☆ Wolfspeed to announce new electric vehicle chip plant in Germany - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - German chip supplier ZF and American chipmaker Wolfspeed Inc (WOLF.N) are expected to announce on Wednesday plans to build an electric vehicle (EV) chip plant in the Saarland region, according to three sources close to the matter. The chancellery said the event was related to an industrial policy project in the field of microelectronics but did not provide further details. The project will cost over 2 billion euros ($2.18 billion) and ZF will hold a minority stake, with production to begin in four years, according to German business paper Handelsblatt which previously reported on the plans, citing unidentified sources. A spokesperson for ZF declined to comment, and Wolfspeed was not immediately available for comment. ($1 = 0.9195 euros)Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Victoria Waldersee and Ilona WissenbachOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Volkswagen considering battery cell factory in Ontario - Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is looking at setting up a battery cell factory in Ontario, Canada, the Handelsblatt business daily reported on Tuesday, adding that the province had offered investments and other incentives to win over the carmaker. Five entries from January 2023 are listed in a lobby register of the Canadian province for Volkswagen, including one that mentions Chief Executive Oliver Blume by name, the report said, citing the documents. The carmaker confirmed in December it was searching for a site for a battery cell plant in North America, and Blume said at the time that Canada was "one logical option". The documents seen by Handelsblatt said that Ontario wanted to be "considered in competition with other locations in consideration." Reporting by Jan C Schwartz, Victoria Waldersee, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Miranda MurrayOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tech drags European stocks lower on earnings jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Ankika Biswas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) fell 0.3%, heading lower for a second day with technology (.SX8P) and telecom (.SX8P) declining the most. "The weak outlook painted by Microsoft is weighing on the wider tech sector," said Michael Hewson, chief markets analyst at CMC Markets in London. European stocks came under pressure on Tuesday, as an improvement in economic activity spurred speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) might have more room to raise interest rates to tackle inflation. Boosting UK stocks, EasyJet PLC (EZJ.L) jumped 10.6% after projecting it would beat current market expectations for 2023 and deliver a full-year profit. Reporting by Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Pressure has been building on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to send its Leopard tanks to Ukraine and let other countries send the ones they own. Ukraine says heavily armoured Western battle tanks would give its ground troops more mobility and protection ahead of a new Russian offensive that Kyiv expects in the near future. Germany has previously said that no country had formally asked for permission to send their Leopard tanks. A German defence source told Reuters that Poland had submitted a request to let it supply up to 14 Leopard 2 A4 tanks to Ukraine. He expressed confidence that a decision on sending battle tanks would come soon.

☆ Wolfspeed plans multi-billion dollar chip factory in Germany, Handelsblatt reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, Jan 21 (Reuters) - U.S. power chip maker Wolfspeed Inc (WOLF.N) is planning to build a factory in Germany for more than 2 billion euros ($2.17 billion), Handelsblatt reported on Saturday. The German auto supplier ZF will hold a minority stake, the the business newspaper said, citing unidentified sources familiar with the project. Production should begin in four years at the site in the small southwest German state of Saarland, the report added. A spokesperson for the economics ministry of Saarland declined to comment. ZF declined to comment.

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