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☆ New Zealand forecasts much larger budget deficit but improved economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWELLINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - New Zealand’s government on Tuesday predicted a larger budget deficit but better-than-expected economic conditions in the year ahead, as it updated forecasts heading into the October election. The government forecast a budget deficit of NZ$11.4 billion ($6.7 billion) for the year ending June 30, 2024, much larger than a deficit of NZ$7.6 billion estimated in May. The global economy has deteriorated since May, which is having a direct impact on New Zealand's economy while tax revenue is also falling, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in a statement. "Treasury’s latest forecasts show the economy isn’t working for Kiwis," said National Party leader Christopher Luxon. ($1 = 1.6926 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Sam Holmes and Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Gray, Grant Robertson, Robertson, ", Christopher Luxon, Lucy Craymer, Sam Holmes, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Zealanders, Treasury, Kiwis, National Party, Reserve Bank of New, Zealand, Thomson Locations: Wellington , New Zealand, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration taken March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Adobe (ADBE.O), IBM (IBM.N), Nvidia (NVDA.O) and five other firms have signed President Joe Biden's voluntary commitments governing artificial intelligence, which requires steps such as watermarking AI-generated content, the White House said. The original commitments, which were announced in July, were aimed at ensuring that AI's considerable power was not used for destructive purposes. Google, OpenAI and OpenAI partner Microsoft (MSFT.O) signed onto the commitments in July. "The president has been clear: harness the benefits of AI, manage the risks, and move fast – very fast," White House chief of staff Jeff Zients said in a statement.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Biden's, Jeff Zients, Diane Bartz, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, IBM, Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, Thomson

☆ Yen stands tall, dollar finds floor ahead of US inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. The Japanese currency was last marginally lower at 146.61 per dollar, after scaling a one-week top of 145.91 in the previous session. Elsewhere, the U.S. dollar reversed some of its close to 0.5% loss against a basket of currencies on Monday. The U.S. dollar index , which ended last week with an eight-week winning streak, rose 0.03% to 104.60, after falling 0.46% in the previous session. The offshore yuan found some support near Monday's one-week high and last bought 7.3020 per dollar.

Persons: Florence Lo, Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Chris Weston, we've, Tony Sycamore, Sterling steadied, bitcoin, Ether, Kyle Rodda, Rae Wee, Sam Holmes Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, New Zealand, Fed, Capital.com, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, United States, U.S, Tony Sycamore ., Monday's, China

☆ Morning Bid: China developers catch break, BOJ hawks take flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, September 8, 2023. The drama isn't over: Sources say the extension applies to six of eight bonds under discussion, with voting delayed on the other two. The embattled developer has already dodged default twice this month, winning a three-year extension on offshore bond payments and making a last-minute coupon payment. Traders certainly lean toward a quarter-point hike next week, putting the probability at about 80%. But they're split on the chances of another, laying just north of 50/50 odds of one by March.

Persons: Kevin Buckland, Kazuo Ueda's, rumblings, BOE, Catherine Mann, it's, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, HK, Bank of Japan, Bank of England, Federal Reserve, ECB, Fed, Traders, Spain CPI, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Asia, Spain

☆ US exceptionalism thwarts dollar bears but Fed test looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Saqib Iqbal Ahmed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Signs that the dollar will continue enjoying its yield-advantage over other currencies have undercut support for bearish views on the greenback. That theme will be tested in September, as the market braces for a flood of key U.S. economic data as well as the Fed's monetary policy meeting. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's message at next week's monetary policy meeting could also influence the dollar's trajectory. While Englander is bearish the dollar in the medium term, the currency's "underlying drivers have been going so much in the opposite direction," he said. Other dollar rebounds this year, in March and May, failed at levels not far from where the dollar index trades now.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, It's, Vassili Serebriakov, Jerome Powell's, Steven Englander, Serebriakov, it's, Kit Juckes, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Laura Matthews, Ira Iosebashvili, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Futures Trading, UBS, Reuters Graphics, Fed, Standard Chartered, Reuters, TD Securities, Societe Generale, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States

☆ Analysis: BOJ's hawkish tilt suggests end to super-easy policy approaching
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Another board member, Junko Nakagawa, laid out the conditions for ending negative rates, notably a continued improvement in household confidence. "When we see many people share prospects that wages will keep rising, we may be able to exit (negative rates)." Less than half expect negative rates to end in 2024. There seems to be no consensus within the BOJ board, however, on when or how the bank would dismantle Kuroda's complex policy framework. Ueda said the BOJ could end negative rates if it believed that inflation would sustainably hold above the target.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Kim Kyung, Ueda, Tamura, Haruhiko Kuroda, Naoki Tamura, Kuroda, Mari Iwashita, Hajime Takata, Junko Nakagawa, Shinichi Uchida, Leika, Sam Holmes Organizations: Japan, REUTERS, Bank of Japan, Daiwa Securities, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, U.S

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. "It seems that Ueda's comments were intended to stop the yen's slide against the dollar," said Takehiko Masuzawa, trading head at Phillip Securities Japan. Christopher Wong, a currency strategist at OCBC, attributed the dollar's slide to traders "lightening up" on their long dollar positions ahead of the data. Against the weaker U.S. dollar, the Aussie and the New Zealand dollar were among the biggest beneficiaries, each rising more than 0.5%. The Australian dollar was last 0.6% higher at $0.64165, while the kiwi gained 0.52% to $0.5914.

Persons: Florence Lo, Kazuo Ueda stoked, Ueda, Takehiko, Sterling, Christopher Wong, Alvin Tan, Matt Simpson, Rae Wee, Junko Fujita, Sam Holmes, Christopher Cushing Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, Yomiuri, Federal Reserve, Phillip Securities Japan, British, Fed, Treasury, Asia FX, RBC Capital Markets, Index, Aussie, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Japan, Asia, United States, U.S, Singapore, Tokyo

But analysts say more policy support is needed to shore up consumer demand in the world's second-biggest economy, with a labour market recovery slowing and household income expectations uncertain. "In general the inflation (rate) still points to weak demand and requires more policy support for the foreseeable future." DEFLATION PRESSURESCompared with the previous month, CPI rose 0.3%, picking up from 0.2% in July, the statistics bureau said. Pork prices rose 11.4% month-on-month, versus no change in July, due to the impact of extreme weather in some areas. Factory-gate deflation moderated in August due to improving demand for some industrial products and rising international crude oil prices, the statistics bureau said.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Zhou Hao, Bruce Pang, Jones Lang Lasalle, Premier Li Qiang, Kevin Yao, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Reuters, Guotai, ANZ, Jones, Premier, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, Ukraine

Real wages adjusted for inflation fell in July for a 16th straight month in a sign households continued to feel the pinch from rising prices, separate data showed, boding ill for consumption. Exports remained solid in April-June with net external demand contributing 1.8% points to GDP growth, unchanged from the preliminary reading. But shipments to China slumped 13.4% in July to mark the 8th straight month of falls. Japan's economy has seen a delayed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic this year, as rising living costs faltering global demand cloud the outlook. Given such uncertainties, Bank of Japan policymakers have stressed their resolve to keep monetary policy ultra-loose until the recent cost-driven inflation turns into price rises driven by domestic demand and higher wage growth.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Takeshi Minami, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: Food, REUTERS, Norinchukin Research, Private, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, China, Norinchukin

Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded an annualised 4.8% in April-June, against a preliminary estimate of 6.0% growth. The revised reading compared with a median market forecast for a 0.7% decline. Private consumption, which makes up more than half of the economy, fell 0.6% quarter-on-quarter in the April-June period, compared with a preliminary 0.5% decline. Exports remained solid for now with net external demand contributing 1.8% points to GDP growth, unchanged from the preliminary reading. Japan's economy has seen a delayed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic's scars this year, as rising living costs faltering global demand cloud the outlook.

Persons: Yoshifumi Takemoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Asia stocks slip, dollar firms on growth concerns, Fed outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Kane Wu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Asia stocks fell on Wednesday after faltering growth in China and Europe heightened concerns about global economic momentum, while the dollar firmed as investors weighed the outlook for Federal Reserve interest rates. MSCI's gauge of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) dipped 0.45%. "The China decline was bigger than expected," said Redmond Wong, Greater China market strategist at Saxo Markets. Manufacturing data from Germany, Britain and the euro zone also showed declines, while their service sectors fell into contraction. "The Europe data were rather weak.

Persons: Androniki, HSI, Redmond Wong, Wong, Australia's, Christopher Waller, John Milroy, Ord Minnett, Brent, Kane Wu, Edmund Klamann, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Saxo Markets, Nikkei, U.S, BlackRock Investment Institute, Institute for Supply Management, PMI, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, HONG KONG, Asia, China, Europe, London, U.S, 0520GMT, Asia Pacific, Greater China, Germany, Britain, BlackRock, ., Saudi Arabia, Russia

In a sign of growing pessimism over China, the government also said its monthly economic report for August that "concern over China's outlook" was among risks to Japan's recovery. "Exports to China had already been weak and headwinds to inbound tourism are clearly bad for Japan's economy," said Toru Suehiro, chief economist at Daiwa Securities. "All in all, it's hard to justify tightening monetary policy any time soon." Firms also promised wage hikes unseen in three decades this year, heightening the case for a retreat from decades of ultra-loose monetary policy. The darkening outlook for Japan's recovery may push back the timing of a BOJ policy shift.

Persons: Marko Djurica, Kazuo Ueda's, Hiroyuki Ogawa, Ogawa, Takeshi Niinami, Toru Suehiro, Ueda, Toyoaki Nakamura, Seisaku Kameda, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of Japan's, Reuters, Japan, Komatsu Ltd, Komatsu, Suntory Holdings, Daiwa Securities, Japan's Sompo Holdings, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, TOKYO, Beijing, United States

☆ Stocks fall, dollar and yields up after US services data
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., August 15, 2023. Weighing heavily on Wall Street stock indexes, shares of Apple (AAPL.O) fell 3.6% after the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that China had banned officials at central government agencies from using iPhones and other foreign-branded devices for work. Some investors said the data may add to signs that interest rates could remain elevated for longer. The Nasdaq ended more than 1% lower, leading declines on Wall Street. In other data, manufacturing activity in Germany, Britain and the euro zone declined, while their service sectors fell into contraction territory.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Susan Collins, Jeffrey Roach, Caroline Valetkevitch, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Nell Mackenzie, Kane Wu, Edmund Klamann, Sam Holmes, Will Dunham, Sharon Singleton Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, Apple, Treasury, Wall, Wall Street Journal, Institute for Supply Management, U.S . Federal, Fed Bank of Boston, Nasdaq, . Technology, Dow Jones, LPL, Brent, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, Germany, Britain, New York, London

"There is a significant risk in the short term of financial crisis or other degree of economic crisis that would carry very substantial social and political costs for the Chinese government. By the time the global financial crisis hit in 2008-09, it had already met most of its investment needs for its level of development, economists say. To keep growth high, China in the 2010s doubled down on infrastructure and property investment, at the expense of household consumption. China has since backed away from major financial market liberalisation while plans to rein in state behemoths and introduce universal social welfare never quite materialised. "But at the same time there's a great fear of the short-term political and social risk, especially of provoking an economic crisis."

Persons: Xi Jinping's, William Hurst, Chong Hua, there's, Max Zenglein, We're, Logan Wright, Alicia Garcia Herrero, Hurst, Liangping Gao, Kevin Yao, Kripa Jayaram, Marius Zaharia, Sam Holmes Organizations: Development, University of Cambridge, International Monetary Fund, Asia Pacific, China's, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Japan, Beijing, Natixis

☆ China's Aug factory activity picks up unexpectedly - Caixin PMI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A worker wearing a face mask works on a production line manufacturing glassware products at a factory in Haian, Jiangsu province, China February 29, 2020. The Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 51.0 in August from 49.2 in July, beating analysts' forecasts of 49.3 and marking the highest reading since February. The data, a snapshot of the sprawling manufacturing economy, surprised to the upside but offered a mixed picture of the sector, a day after an official survey showed manufacturing activity contracted for a fifth straight month. The Caixin manufacturing PMI surveys around 650 private and state-owned manufacturers and focuses more on export-oriented firms in coastal regions, while the official PMI surveys 3,200 companies across China. Manufacturers reported increases in both output and total order intakes thanks to firmer market demand, the Caixin survey showed.

Persons: Wang Zhe, Wang, Ellen Zhang, Ryan Woo, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, P Global, Analysts, Manufacturers, Caixin Insight, Thomson Locations: Haian, Jiangsu province, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ China to cut banks' FX reserve ratio to rein in yuan weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China, February 3, 2020. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it would cut the foreign exchange reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by 200 basis points (bps) to 4% from 6% beginning Sept. 15, according to an online statement. That would effectively free up $16.4 billion worth of foreign exchange with China's FX deposits standing at $821.8 billion at end-July. The PBOC said its move was to "improve financial institutions' ability to use foreign exchange funds". Cheung added that Friday's announcement reinforced the central bank's stance to defend a weakening yuan but was "unlikely to reverse the bearish picture of the yuan."

Persons: Jason Lee, Ken Cheung, Cheung, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Christian Schmollinger, Sam Holmes Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Mizuho Bank, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, United States

A man walks in front of the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. For years, the government has kept borrowing costs, as measured by assumed interest rates, low, effectively allowing the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to bankroll debt. That is up from 25.25 trillion yen this year, the sources said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly. For the current fiscal year, the annual budget hit a record 114 trillion yen, boosted by steps to cope with COVID. Social security accounts for nearly one-third of budget spending, making it the lion's share of the overall budget, followed by debt-servicing costs, which make up more than a fifth of the budget.

Persons: Issei Kato, Izuru Kato, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Takaya Yamaguchi, Sam Holmes, Alex Richardson Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Totan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, North Korea

However, in a hopeful sign for growth, conditions did not materially worsen even though the survey showed factories under persistent pressure. China's major manufacturing rivals in the region Japan and South Korea also reported sharp declines in output on Thursday. "It's too early to tell, but today's print suggests that a sequential uptick in growth activity in the third quarter could still be possible," said Louise Loo, senior economist with Oxford Economics. Policymakers remain under pressure to boost domestic demand as the global economy continues to slow. Going forward, "the actual implementation and effectiveness of policy support will be the key indicator to watch," he added.

Persons: It's, Louise Loo, Pan Gongsheng, Frederic Neumann, Bruce Pang, Jones Lang Lasalle, Joe Cash, Qiaoyi Li, Ellen Zhang, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, National Bureau of Statistics, PMI, Oxford Economics, Reuters, People's Bank of, Global Research Asia, HSBC, Jones, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, Rights BEIJING, Japan, South Korea, People's Bank of China, United States, Europe, Asia

☆ Japan's July factory output slumps, raises pressure on manufacturers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Japan's factory output fell more than expected in July, signalling a rocky start to the second half of the year for manufacturers as worries mount over growth in China and the global economy. Industrial output fell 2.0% in July from the previous month, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) showed on Thursday. Output of electronic parts and devices fell 5.1%, while that of production machinery decreased 4.8%, driving the overall decline. Among production machinery, output for semiconductor manufacturing equipment fell by 16.4%. Other data showed Japanese retail sales expanded 6.8% in July from a year earlier.

Persons: Issei Kato, Masato Koike, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kantaro Komiya, Chang, Ran Kim, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ministry, Economy, Trade, Industry, Toyota, Honda, Manufacturers, Sompo, Thomson Locations: Kawasaki, Japan, China

☆ BOJ policymaker signals chance of policy tweak early next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The remarks are the strongest signal to date by a Bank of Japan (BOJ) policymaker that rising inflation and wages could prod the bank to take bolder steps towards phasing out its radical stimulus. "About a decade has passed since the BOJ began efforts to sustainably and stably achieve its 2% inflation target. For now, the BOJ must sustain monetary easing to scrutinise wage and price developments, said the former commercial banker. "Abandoning negative rates will obviously be among options" if the BOJ were to normalise policy, he said. "Even if the BOJ were to end negative rates, it won't be scaling back monetary easing as long as it can keep interest rates low."

Persons: Issei Kato, Tamura BOJ, KUSHIRO, Naoki Tamura, Tamura, Kazuo Ueda, Shinichi Uchida, Ueda, Leika Kihara, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Dollar finds feet as investors await further clues on Fed path
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar on Wednesday clawed back some of the previous session's sharp declines as investors looked ahead to more labour market data for clues on the path for Federal Reserve policy. The dollar index - which measures the currency against six major peers including the yen and euro - added 0.09% to 103.64 as of the Asian afternoon. On Tuesday, it had surged to a 10-month peak at 147.375 leading into the JOLTS report, only to end the day with a 0.45% decline. The Aussie dollar dipped as much as 0.46% after the data but eventually shook the data off to trade little changed at $0.64775. The Chinese yuan weakened slightly in offshore trading to 7.3002 per dollar, but remained well above the Aug. 17 low of 7.3490.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, pare, Matt Simpson, Simpson, Naoki Tamura, Jerome Powell, bitcoin, cryptocurrency, we're, Chris Weston, Kevin Buckland, Tom Westbrook, Lincoln, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Federal Reserve, U.S ., Treasury, Bank of Japan, Money, Fed, Reserve Bank of Australia, People's Bank of, Thomson Locations: People's Bank of China

☆ China rally runs on hope; bonds bet on slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

European futures rose 0.2% and FTSE futures rose 0.8% to point to a positive return from a day's holiday in London. SLOWINGElsewhere in Asia, investors' focus was on U.S. data that may determine whether or not interest rates need to rise further. U.S. Treasuries extended overnight gains, driving two-year yields down five basis points (bps) to 5% and 10-year yields down two bps to 4.1922%. The Australian dollar inched 0.3% higher to $0.6440, with incoming central bank governor Michelle Bullock due to speak later in the day. The yen remained pinned near Monday's 10-month low, for a loss of some 10% on the dollar this year.

Persons: Ryan Felsman, Michelle Bullock, Jason Xue, Sam Holmes, Kim Coghill Organizations: Foreigners, Treasury, Workers, of America, Financial, HK, Traders, Benchmark, Commonwealth Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Australia, SINGAPORE, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Hong Kong, London, U.S, Sydney . U.S, Shanghai

☆ China's factory activity likely extended declines in August - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An employee works on the production line of Nio electric vehicles at a JAC-NIO manufacturing plant in Hefei, Anhui province, China August 28, 2022. China Daily via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 29 (Reuters) - China's factory activity likely contracted for a fifth straight month in August, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday, as weak demand threatens recovery prospects in the world's second-largest economy and pressures officials to prop up growth. An index reading above 50 indicates expansion in activity on a monthly basis while below that signals contraction. "ASEAN, China's top trading partner, has also decreased to a nearly two-year low of 50.8." The official manufacturing PMI, which largely focuses on big and state-owned firms, and its survey for the services sector, will be released on Thursday.

Persons: Taimur Baig, Joe Cash, Anant Chandak, Susobhan Sarkar, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Manufacturing, DBS, ASEAN, PMI, Thomson Locations: Hefei, Anhui province, China, Rights BEIJING, Bengaluru

☆ China extends tax breaks for foreign workers until 2027
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Aug 29 (Reuters) - China will extend preferential tax policies for foreign nationals working in the country through to the end of 2027, the finance ministry said on Tuesday, in a boon to foreign firms struggling to attract talent post-COVID. The government proposed scrapping the provision of non-taxable allowances for foreign workers in 2022, but decided to extend the scheme on a review basis until the end of this year. "This announcement to extend the existing individual income tax regime is a genuine statement of commitment from the Chinese government to the multinational companies operating here." As China's economy slows, authorities have struggled to revive foreign investment with global firms unimpressed by new incentives they say fall far short of sweeteners once used to attract overseas money. Editing by Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kiran Patel, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes Organizations: China - Britain Business Council, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China

☆ Bonds rally, stocks drift as China boost fades
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The yen remained an outlier and within a whisker of Monday's 10-month low, which has traders on edge about the risk of intervention. Over the weekend, China announced a halving in stock-trading stamp duties and had on Friday approved some guidelines for affordable housing. Hong Kong's Hang Seng (.HSI) closed less than 1% higher on Monday and was 1% firmer in early trade on Tuesday. On Tuesday in New Zealand shares in Tourism Holdings (THL.NZ), the world's largest campervan rental company, surged 13% after the company reported a record underlying profit. On Tuesday, U.S. job openings figures are due, ahead of Friday's broader labour market data and the ISM manufacturing survey.

Persons: Damian Rooney, Kazuo Ueda, Goldman Sachs, Ryan Felsman, Jason Xue, Sam Holmes Organizations: Nikkei, Argonaut Securities, HK, Bank of Japan, Tourism Holdings, New, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Perth, New Zealand, Sydney, Shanghai

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