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☆ China's mounting such a strong attack on the dollar's dominance that it's paying for almost all of its Russian oil imports in the yuan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Much of the trade was done in the Chinese yuan, per Reuters. China has ramped up the use of the yuan to buy commodities such as oil and coal from Russia. The country has been using its own currency — the yuan — for almost all of the Russian oil it bought over the past year, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing multiple trading executives with direct knowledge of the matter. The executive was likely referring to Russian crude being subject to a $60-a-barrel price cap imposed by a G7-led coalition. To contextualize this, China imported $88 billion worth of major commodities including crude oil and fuel oil from Russia in 2022 — up 52% in value from 2021.

☆ The SEC just paid out nearly $279 million to a tipster in its largest-ever award. Here's an inside look at the crazy world of whistleblower lawsuits.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The regulator announced a nearly $279 million award to a whistleblower on May 5, more than double the previous record of $114 million awarded in October 2020. When whistleblower information leads to settlements, tipsters can earn between 10 and 30 percent of the financial penalties paid by wrongdoers. When whistleblower information leads to settlements, the tipsters can earn a percentage of the financial penalties paid by wrongdoers. The tipster's law firm, Kirby McInerney, worked with state authorities on the investigation after "Tooley's" lawsuit was filed. This means tax-fraud whistleblowers will increasingly look for ways to bring their tips to New York law enforcement to be more involved in the investigation process.

☆ Hong Kong c.bank raises interest rates after Fed hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Fed raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point and signalled it may pause further increases, giving officials time to assess the fallout from recent bank failures and monitor the course of inflation. HKMA said Hong Kong interbank rates, which have been rising over the past few months, will likely rise further with the Fed latest rate hike. The public should therefore carefully assess the interest rate risk when taking out mortgages or making other borrowing decisions. "After China and Hong Kong markets have returned to normalcy post COVID-19, investment sentiment in the real estate market has improved, consumption power has risen. The Hong Kong property market has rebounded by 5-6% year-to-date," Yue said, adding other economic factors also play a part.

May 4 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. The Fed on Wednesday delivered what markets are convinced will be the last rate hike of the cycle, bond yields and the dollar fell, yet investors are rattled. But the tone will be set by the fallout from the Fed. They rose as much as 3% in early trade, recouping some of the previous two days' heavy losses. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, April 28 (Reuters) - Chinese banks are ramping up efforts to promote international use of the yuan, and reporting a surge in cross-border yuan business from the country's booming trade with Russia and deepening ties with the Middle East. Harbin Bank Co (6138.HK), in China's Heilongjiang province neighboring Russia, saw its cross-border yuan business grow nine-fold last year to a record, as the Sino-Russia trade grew briskly after the Ukraine war began. Industrial Bank Co (601166.SS), whose cross-border, corporate payment business jumped 50% last year, has also been actively promoting CIPS, China's own global payment system. The bank said it currently helps 153 foreign and Chinese banks connect to CIPS, to advance China's yuan internationalisation strategy. "Increasing the use of yuan in pricing, and settling cross-border oil and gas trade will give a boost to yuan internationalization."

UNITED NATIONS – The basic food security of tens of millions across the globe is hanging by a thread as Russia mulls whether it will preserve a deal that has permitted Ukrainian grain to move through the Black Sea. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday renewed threats of abandoning the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement that allows the safe wartime export of agricultural products from besieged Ukrainian ports. Lavrov also said that the deal is currently one-sided since Russian fertilizers have not been able to transit the same way Ukrainian grain has. "It was not called the grain deal it was called the Black Sea Initiative and in the text itself the agreement stated that this applies to the expansion of opportunities to export grain and fertilizer," Lavrov told reporters during a press conference. Lavrov said there are dozens of Russian cargo vessels carrying some 200,000 tons of fertilizer stuck at European ports.

☆ Bangladesh to pay Russia $300 million in Chinese yuan for a nuclear plant loan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bangladesh will pay Russia $318 million worth of yuan for a loan payment on a nuclear power plant. Russia, whose state-owned Rosatom is building the nuclear plant, had initially insisted on payment in rubles and refused yuan due to concern over potential conversion losses, according to Bloomberg. But a representative for Rosatom confirmed to the Washington Post that the loan payment will be made in yuan. The payment is partial reimbursement for a $12 billion loan the South Asian country previously received from Moscow, and will help fund a nuclear power plant near the capital city of Dhaka. Bangladesh's yuan payment is the latest example of de-dollarization.

☆ China regulators plan new bond market rules, will coordinate more after turmoil, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"After the chaos, coordination between bodies will be strengthened," one of the regulatory sources said. Turnover in the market — the world's second-largest bond market with $21 trillion in notes outstanding — slid and traders said they had to scramble to chat groups for quotes. In contrast to the pre-ban market, Tullet Prebon's data is now available on all other bond market information platforms including Wind, Dealing Matrix and government-affiliated iDeal. China's interbank bond market operator also said on March 20 that iDeal now offers price data from six interdealer brokers. The strength of the market's reaction to the data ban had surprised authorities, according to one of the regulatory sources.

☆ Fed's Bowman sees potential for interbank digital dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 18 (Reuters) - A so-called "wholesale" central bank digital currency could hold promise for the future settlement of certain financial market transactions and processing international payments, Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said on Tuesday. While a digital dollar could make sense for interbank transactions, there could be unintended consequences like disruptions to the banking system if the Fed were to design a central bank digital currency that would be directly available to the public, Bowman said in prepared remarks for an event at Georgetown University's Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy. The U.S. central bank has not yet said if it would embark on an effort to create a central bank digital currency, and has previously said it would seek authorization from Congress and the executive branch before doing so. Reporting by Ann Saphir and Hannah Lang; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fed Governor Bowman casts doubt on the need for a U.S. digital dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman expressed skepticism over the possibility of a digital U.S. dollar, noting Tuesday the multiple risks such a system could impose. For the past few years, Fed officials have been studying whether to join a handful of other central banks to implement its own type of cryptocurrency. However, she said an interest-bearing Fed digital dollar could provide harmful competition for banks, limiting their ability to lend. Like other Fed officials, Bowman said the looming implementation of the FedNow payments system also will address many of the needs cited by central bank digital currency promoters. Perhaps the CBDC's biggest Fed advocate has since left the central bank: Former Governor Lael Brainard is now director of the National Economic Council.

☆ Analysis: Pressure builds on Egypt to devalue currency further
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Patrick Werr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Egypt has sharply devalued the currency three times since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 exposed vulnerabilities in the country's finances. But with each devaluation the central bank aimed to keep the currency steady afterwards, only for the black market and non-deliverable forwards to quickly push beyond the new rate. "No time like the present to align foreign exchange rates with fundamentals," Urmossy said, adding that the March 30 policy announcement was "one of the most anticipated events in the African Frontier space." And the black market shows the hard currency shortage that has plagued Egypt for more than a year persists. "Demand for foreign exchange continues to outstrip supply, providing the conditions for the parallel market to grow," said Farouk Soussa of Goldman Sachs.

☆ Morning Bid: Banks are leaking money
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There is some relief that First Citizens BancShares Inc (FCNCA.O) is in advanced talks to acquire Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O). There was also some talk the Federal Reserve could expand its new lending programme for banks as another step to reassuring depositors. Money is clearly flowing out of smaller banks toward their bigger siblings and to money market funds, which have seen an inflow of more than $300 billion in the past month to a record $5.1 trillion. Capital Economics points out that deposits across all the banks have fallen by $663 billion in the past year as customers search for higher yield. Deutsche Bank's five-year CDS hit 222 bps on Friday, the highest since late 2018, while UBS CDS shot up to 139 bps.

☆ Morning Bid: Banks queue round the block at Fed discount window
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne ColeIt's been a slow day in Asian markets, no doubt with everyone tired and emotional after another rough week. The whole yield curve from one month to 30 years is now below the overnight Fed rate, which is something you see only once in a very blue moon. Rather, history shows the curve steepens like this just before recession arrives, as short-term yields dive in anticipation of rate cuts. Fed futures are currently 65% for no hike in May and 85% for a rate cut in July, a U-turn that the Fed is surely hoping to avoid. Yet the strains are showing in the Fed books as borrowing at its discount window as of Wednesday was a hefty $110.2 billion.

☆ Hong Kong central bank raises policy rate after Fed hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, March 23 (Reuters) - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Thursday lifted its base rate charged through the overnight discount window by 25 basis points to 5.25%, hours after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered a rate rise of the same margin. Hong Kong's monetary policy moves in lock-step with the U.S. as the city's currency is pegged to the greenback in a tight range of 7.75-7.85 per dollar. The Federal Open Market Committee policy statement also said the U.S. banking system was "sound and resilient". "It is too soon to assess how much this will further affect economic activities and influence monetary policy." The financial and monetary markets of Hong Kong continued to operate in a smooth and orderly manner, despite the volatility of overseas markets, and Hong Kong dollar interbank rates might remain at elevated levels for some time, the HKMA added.

Separately, two days of chaos in China's $21 trillion bond market ended on Friday after Beijing allowed money brokers to resume providing data to third-party platforms. Jeffrey Gundlach, CEO of DoubleLine Capital, said he considered selling Treasuries earlier in the week but the market was "wildly illiquid." Bond market volatility spikesKEEPING WATCHThe heightened volatility has caught the eye of officials who play a role in ensuring financial markets stability. Analysts noted that bond volatility was exceptionally high not only because of a flight to safe-haven government debt, but also due to a massive repricing of rate-hike expectations. "If liquidity is deteriorating due to wild swings in safe-haven markets, that has implications for the functioning of financial markets and broader economic stability."

☆ Panama sees limited risk from US, European bank problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, March 16 (Reuters) - Panama's risk of contagion from banking woes in the United States and Europe is "very limited", an official with banking regulator SBP said on Thursday, adding that local lenders have no exposure from interbank deposits or other investments. "We can count on a very solid banking system," Amauri Castillo, an SBP superintendent, said at a conference in Panama City. Panama's international banking center (CBI) held assets totaling some $140 billion at the end of last year, up 5% from 2021. At the end of last year, Panama's national banking system reported a capital adequacy ratio of 15.34% and liquidity ratio of 57%. Reporting by Milagro Vallecillos; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Anthony Esposito and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. banks' CDS prices surge as contagion concern widens
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Mehnaz Yasmin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 15 (Reuters) - A jump in the cost for Wall Street banks to insure bonds against default on Wednesday was another worrisome indicator of credit stress for investors amid the crisis at Credit Suisse and at U.S. regional banks. Swiss bank Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) fell to a record low on Wednesday. Five-year credit default swaps for the flagship Swiss bank hit a new record high. Credit default swaps on Credit Suisse also inverted on Wednesday with the two-year rising above the five-year, and both hit a new 52-week high, according to data from Ortex. Some analysts believe that the larger banks are resilient and are more worried about the smaller and mid-sized banks.

[1/2] Customers wait in line outside a branch of the Silicon Valley Bank in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S., March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brian SnyderMarch 14 (Reuters) - Silicon Valley Bank's collapse continued to pound global bank stocks on Tuesday as investors fretted over the financial health of some lenders, despite assurances from U.S. President Joe Biden and other policymakers. The European banks index (.SX7P) fell 0.6% after posting its biggest percentage loss in more than a year on Monday. "Bank runs have started (and) interbank markets have become stressed," said Damien Boey, chief equity strategist at Sydney-based investment bank Barrenjoey. The prospect of higher interest rates had been "the reason investors have been really excited about Japan bank stocks", Ikeda added.

"Bank runs have started (and) interbank markets have become stressed," said Damien Boey, chief equity strategist at Sydney-based investment bank Barrenjoey. A furious race to reprice interest rate expectations also buffeted markets as investors bet the Federal Reserve will be reluctant to hike next week. Traders currently see a 50% chance of no rate hike at that meeting, with rate cuts priced in for the second half of the year. The prospect of higher interest rates had been "the reason investors have been really excited about Japan bank stocks." After marathon weekend talks, HSBC HSBA.L said it was buying the British arm of SVB for one pound ($1.21).

☆ SVB contagion fears hammer banks, roil markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Tokyo Stock Exchange banks index (.IBNKS.T) fell more than 7%, setting it on course for its steepest drop in nearly six months. Banks shares in Singapore and Australia fell. Heavy selling hit U.S. regional bank stocks overnight and traders raced away from bets on U.S. rate hikes, reckoning the instability would turn policymakers cautious. "Bank runs have started (and) interbank markets have become stressed," said Damien Boey, chief equity strategist at Sydney-based investment bank Barrenjoey. "Bank stocks had run up (when) it was thought that monetary policy might normalise a bit," said Jamie Halse, who manages a Japan-focused fund at Platinum Asset Management in Sydney.

☆ Bank slide deepens as SVB contagion fear rattles markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Tokyo Stock Exchange banks index (.IBNKS.T) fell more than 5%, setting it on course for its steepest drop in nearly six months. Banks shares in Singapore and Australia fell. Heavy selling hit U.S. regional bank stocks overnight and traders raced away from bets on U.S. rate hikes, reckoning the instability would turn policymakers cautious. "Bank runs have started (and) interbank markets have become stressed," said Damien Boey, chief equity strategist at Sydney-based investment bank Barrenjoey. "Bank stocks had run up (when) it was thought that monetary policy might normalise a bit," said Jamie Halse, who manages a Japan-focused fund at Platinum Asset Management in Sydney.

☆ Japanese banks slide as SVB contagion fear rattles markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Bank runs have started (and) interbank markets have become stressed," said Damien Boey, chief equity strategist at Sydney-based investment bank Barrenjoey. "Fear has started to feed on itself, and higher uncertainty by itself has triggered its own de-leveraging and de-risking dynamics." Overnight the VIX (.VIX) volatility index, nicknamed Wall Street's "fear gauge", shot higher and other indicators of market stress showed early signs of strain. In Tokyo, Resona Holdings (8308.T) led losses with a 9% slide, followed by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8306.T), down 8%. U.S. inflation data due later in the day is likely to inject more volatility, even if investors see the Fed prioritising financial stability.

Investors reeled in their expectations for global central bank rate hikes, and bank stocks tumbled once again. Reuters GraphicsIn the money markets, a closely watched indicator of credit risk in the U.S. banking system edged up on Monday, as did other indicators of credit risk in the euro zone. The gap between two-year euro swap rates and two-year German bond yields , widened by around 20 basis points to 83 basis points, to the highest since Nov. 11. Reuters GraphicsIn Germany, two-year bond yields dropped more than 50 basis points, much more than a drop of 37 basis points on swap rates. Back in late 2008, when failed investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, this swap rate went as negative as 300 bps.

Investors reeled in their expectations for global central bank rate hikes, and bank stocks tumbled once again. Reuters GraphicsIn the money markets, a closely watched indicator of credit risk in the U.S. banking system edged up on Monday, as did other indicators of credit risk in the euro zone. The gap between two-year euro swap rates and two-year German bond yields , widened by around 20 basis points to 83 basis points, to the highest since Nov. 11. Reuters GraphicsIn Germany, two-year bond yields were last down over 40 basis points, much more than a drop of 24 basis points on swap rates. Back in late 2008, when failed investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, this swap rate went as negative as 300 bps.

Responding to SVB’s failure, the central bank promised to make available additional liquidity to banks and other deposit-taking institutions. By reassuring depositors, the central bank aims to prevent runs on other institutions and contagion through the financial system. And by promising to buy high-quality assets at face value, the central bank is trying to forestall a fire sale that could depress valuations and become self-reinforcing. POLICY AND SUPERVISIONThe central bank’s intervention has highlighted the complex interaction between monetary policy and bank supervision. But given the spillovers between monetary policy and supervision, the offer of additional liquidity is probably not enough to insulate monetary policy from financial stability considerations.

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