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☆ Morning Bid: Strikes, system failures and a slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, August 2, 2023. Workers at Toyota plants in Japan were idle, meanwhile, as a systems malfunction crippling component orders brought output to a standstill for the world's top automaker. That comes on the heels of tech woes at British air control on Monday that disrupted flights. FTSE futures suggest a positive return from a day's holiday in London, while U.S. and European futures were flat. Hong Kong's Hang Seng (.HSI) was up 2% by mid-session and mainland blue chips (.CSI300) were up 1.5%.

Persons: Tom Westbrook, Gina Raimondo, it's, Hewlett Packard, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Workers, Chevron, Toyota, Japan's Nikkei, U.S . Commerce, Tourism Holdings, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Australia, Japan, Asia, London, Beijing

☆ Japan at 'inflection point' in 25-year battle with deflation, government says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Yuya Shino Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Japan may be at an inflection point in its 25-year battle with deflation as price and wage rises show signs of broadening, the government said on Tuesday, signalling its conviction the economy was nearing an end to prolonged stagnation. "Japan has seen price and wage rises broaden since the spring of 2022. Such changes suggest the economy is reaching a turning point in its 25-year battle with deflation," the government said in its annual economic white paper. Companies this year offered their highest pay in three decades, heightening the case for a retreat from decades of ultra-loose monetary policy. Since declaring Japan in a state of deflation in 2001, the government has made ending price falls among its top policy priorities.

Persons: Yuya, Leika, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, Companies, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Japan regulator to monitor potential BOJ impact on regional banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A man walks at the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) "will monitor how potential changes in the financial markets and client situations will affect regional banks' profits and health," the regulator said in its annual policy outlook released on Tuesday. Large banks have shortened the duration of their bond portfolios in anticipation of higher yields, but analysts say some smaller, regional banks do not have such flexibility. The FSA said in the policy outlook that it would "encourage regional banks to take necessary steps ahead of time" to address potential changes in the financial and economic situations. The policy outlook, set yearly, lays out guidelines for the FSA's supervision and direction of banks and other financial firms.

Persons: Issei Kato, Makiko Yamazaki, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Financial Services Agency, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indexes, at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China October 25, 2022. "It's pretty weak," said Sat Duhra, a portfolio manager at Janus Henderson who devises a macro score for countries by tracking seven factors including PMI surveys, real exchange rates, current accounts, growth estimates and liquidity. Even in Japan, the stock market success story of the year so far, portfolio manager Zuhair Khan at UBP Investments says he's shorting or avoiding companies reliant on China sales. However, I think more importantly, it has fallen short of initial expectations," said Jagdeep Ghuman, a portfolio manager for U.S. asset manager Nuveen. Reporting by Tom Westbrook and Rae Wee in Singapore, Dhara Ranasinghe in London and Summer Zhen and Xie Yu in Hong Kong.

Persons: Aly, Janus Henderson, Seema Shah, Zuhair Khan, Prashant Bhayani, it's, Jagdeep Ghuman, Nuveen, Tom Westbrook, Rae Wee, Dhara, Zhen, Xie Yu, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, BHP, PMI, Global Investors, UBP Investments, Vegas Sands, Wealth Management, U.S, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen, China, Rights SINGAPORE, London, Bangkok, Zealand, Europe, Thailand, Asia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong

☆ South Korea's Naver launches generative AI services
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Naver said its AI product, named HyperCLOVA X, will provide generative AI-driven searches for users as well as new customised services for enterprise clients. Naver has said it is jointly developing with Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) new chip solutions that will be smaller and more efficient to support its AI technology development. The company plans to open a new data centre for the HyperCLOVA X services in November, Naver said on Thursday. "We are ready to face a new transformation called generative AI," Naver Chief Executive Choi Soo-yeon said. Choi said the company was in talks with global partners about its new AI services' overseas expansion but it was not ready to identify those partners.

Persons: Heo, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Naver, HyperCLOVA, Choi Soo, Choi, Miyoung Kim, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Samsung Electronics, Microsoft, Google, U.S, Thomson Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Seoul, Japan, Southeast Asia

Many economists have called on China to boost its social safety net to rebalance the economy. Yao was unswayed and would prefer consumer vouchers, which some local governments in China have issued, but in amounts too small to matter at a macro level. Local governments, while cash poor, are asset rich. Michael Pettis, senior fellow at Carnegie China, estimates that if Beijing forces local governments to transfer 1-1.5% of GDP to households, China could maintain current growth. "One of the really big conflicts is likely to be between Beijing and the local governments over how to allocate the various adjustment costs.

Persons: Erin Yao, Juan Orts, Orts, Tokyo's, Yao, joblessness, Jens Eskelund, Wang Jiliu, Wang, Michael Pettis, Laurie Chen, Kripa Jayaram, Marius Zaharia, Sam Holmes Organizations: Fathom Consulting, Communist Party, Reuters Graphics, European Chamber of Commerce, Carnegie China, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, HONG KONG, China, Beijing, United States, Hainan

☆ Asian shares sit tight ahead of Nvidia results, yields near highs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

S&P 500 futures climbed 0.3% while Nasdaq futures rose 0.4%. Its blockbuster report last quarter fueled a rally in tech stocks and artificial intelligence hopes, propelling the S&P 500 this year. Shares of Nvidia hit an all-time high of $481.87 overnight, with options data showing traders are expecting a larger-than-usual swing in shares after the quarterly results. The Dow Jones (.DJI) fell 0.5%, the S&P 500 (.SPX) lost 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 0.1%. Financial shares underperformed, with the S&P 500 banks (.SPXBK) sliding 2.4%, after S&P joined Moody's to downgrade multiple regional U.S. lenders.

Persons: Issei Kato, Powell's Jackson, Nvidia NVDA.O, Stuart Humphrey, Humphrey, Dow Jones, Moody's, Treasuries, Thomas Barkin, Jerome Powell, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Markets, Nvidia, SYDNEY, Nasdaq, Japan's Nikkei, JPMorgan, Financial, Richmond Fed, U.S ., Brent, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Pacific, United States, U.S, China, Jackson Hole , Wyoming

☆ Westpac flags higher expenses in quarterly update; shares drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Archishma Iyer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Sydney-based Westpac fell about 2.1% to trade at A$20.82 at 0040 GMT, hitting their lowest since July 12. Broadly, Australia's major banks have all flagged stiff competition in the mortgage space, along with higher expenses as inflationary pressures weigh. The higher interest rates have also contributed to increased living costs, which are pushing up debt arrears. Westpac did not publish a comparable quarterly net profit figure for the same period a year earlier. The figure reported on Monday was below the A$2 billion average profit for the first two quarters of fiscal 2023.

Persons: David Gray, Riya Sharma, Archishma Iyer, Sam Holmes, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Sydney, Westpac, Citi, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ China surprises with modest rate cut amid growing yuan risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was lowered by 10 basis points to 3.45% from 3.55% previously, while the five-year LPR was left at 4.20%. The 10 bp cut in the one-year rate was smaller than the 15 bp cut expected by most poll respondents. Most new and outstanding loans in China are based on the one-year LPR, while the five-year rate influences the pricing of mortgages. The reduction in the one-year LPR came after the People's Bank of China (PBOC) unexpectedly lowered its medium-term policy rate last week. Cheung added that the unexpected rate outcome should be "negative to China growth outlook and the yuan exchange rate".

Persons: Tingshu Wang, LPR, Masayuki Kichikawa, Ken Cheung, Cheung, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Kevin Buckland, Sam Holmes Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, Mizuho Bank, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, Shanghai

☆ Westpac flags margin squeeze from rising home loan competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/David Gray Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Reports quarterly cash profit A$1.8 billionLate loan repayments rises to 0.8% in AustraliaCET1 Ratio of 11.9%Aug 21 (Reuters) - Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), Australia's third-largest lender, on Monday posted a quarterly cash profit of A$1.8 billion ($1.15 billion), as increased competition for home lending squeezed margins. Australia's major banks have all flagged stiff competition in the mortgage space, along with higher expenses as inflationary pressures weigh. Sydney-based Westpac said expenses for the second half to date were up 5% from the first half, fuelled by higher supplier costs and staff wages. In Australia, loan repayments past 90 days late rose to 0.80% in the three-months ended June, up 7 basis points from 0.73% in March, Westpac said. The lender reported a core net interest margin of 1.86% for the quarter, down 4 basis points from the first half of fiscal 2023.

Persons: David Gray, Riya Sharma, Archishma Iyer, Lisa Shumaker, Sam Holmes Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Asian shares set for 3rd losing week on China woes, US rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.6% to just a whisker above a nine-month low hit the previous day. That brought the total loss for the week to 3.4% and marked the third straight week of declines for the index. Shares of Chinese property developers (.HSMPI) listed in Hong Kong fell 1.2%, after China Evergrande (3333.HK) filed for protection from creditors in a U.S. bankruptcy court. "At the start of the year China's economy was powering ahead. Brent crude futures dipped 0.2% to $83.94 per barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures was flat at $80.36.

Persons: Yuan, HSI, China Evergrande, Jonas Goltermann, Goltermann, Padhraic Garvey, Sam Holmes, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: SYDNEY, Nasdaq, Nikkei, Bank of, Technology, HK, Capital Economics, ING, Atlanta Federal, U.S ., U.S, Brent, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: Japan, Europe, Asia, Pacific, Bank of Japan, Hong Kong, China, U.S, Beijing, Americas

The property industry globally, and office building owners in particular, are struggling as working from home and e-commerce lead tenants to reconsider floor space just as higher interest rates reduce building values and raise debt servicing costs. Dexus sold the 18-story A-Grade office for A$293.1 million ($188 million), a 16.3% discount to its December 2022 valuation, according to company filings. Quintessential Equity, an Australian property developer and investor, announced itself as the buyer on its website without elaborating. Dexus will own a A$50 million stake in the trust that will hold the property, it said in a statement. In June, Dexus sold another premium office building in Sydney's central business district for A$393.1 million, a near 17% discount to an independent valuation made in December.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Dexus, Darren Steinberg, Lewis Jackson, Rishav Chatterjee, Subhranshu Sahu, Rashmi Aich, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Equity, Thomson Locations: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Australian, Bengaluru

☆ Asian shares head for 3rd week of losses on China woes, US rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) were up 0.1% after hitting a nine-month low the session before. It was, however, headed for a weekly loss of 2.8%, the third straight week of declines. Data early on Friday showed Japan's core inflation slowed in July, a result that is likely to support market wagers that the Bank of Japan is in no hurry to phase out monetary easing anytime soon. Chinese property giants gained 0.3%, pulling away from a nine-month low hit just a session ago. "At the start of the year China's economy was powering ahead.

Persons: HSI, China Evergrande, Jonas Goltermann, Treasuries, Padhraic Garvey, Sam Holmes Organizations: Nikkei, Bank of, HK, Capital Economics, ING, Atlanta Federal, Brent, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: Japan, SYDNEY, Asia, Pacific, Bank of Japan, China's, China, U.S, Americas

☆ Japan's core inflation eases, bolstering view BOJ will stand pat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 3.1% rise in the core consumer price index (CPI), which includes oil products but excludes volatile fresh food prices, matched a median market forecast, following a 3.3% increase in the previous month. The so-called core-core inflation index, which excludes fresh food and energy prices and is closely watched by the BOJ as a better gauge of trend inflation, rose 4.3% year-on-year in July, accelerating from the previous month. Still, analysts say an acceleration in service-led inflation is a positive sign that demand-side inflation, which the BOJ is looking to stoke, may be building. Gabriel Ng, economist at Capital Economics, said the key question is whether services inflation can pick up the baton. Food costs were among the major contributors to the overall inflation due to elevated prices of raw materials.

Persons: Takeshi Minami, Gabriel Ng, Ng, Kazuo Ueda, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Norinchukin Research, Capital Economics, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, stoke

The one unanimous conclusion they came to was that Beijing wants a greater state presence in these sectors. Kroeber says the crackdowns are about "defining what the state does, what the private sector does, and creating a more limited sandbox for the private sector to play in." That has left investors now picking the state over the private sector. The CCP's July Politburo meeting reinforced the message, with the top policymaking body pledging to put a floor under the property sector, help indebted local governments heal and boost consumer demand. Huang Yan, general manager of private fund manager Shanghai QiuYang Capital Co, said Beijing will crack down on any sector seen as increasing people's economic burden.

Persons: Aly, Jack, Arthur Kroeber, Kroeber, Zhang Kexing, Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong's, Thomas Masi, Masi, Xi, Nuno Fernandes, Fernandes, Huang Yan, Huang, Kumar Pandit, Pandit, Jason Xue, Ankur Banerjee, Vidya Ranganathan, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ant Group, CSI Medical Services, Beijing Tongrentang, HK, Poly, Beijing Gelei Asset Management, Communist Party's, Investors, Mao Zedong's Marxist, Boston, K Investment Management, Shanghai QiuYang, Somerset Capital, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights SHANGHAI, HONGKONG, Beijing, New York, London, Singapore

☆ Australia July jobs take a surprise fall as market loosens
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A worker pushes a trolley loaded with goods past a construction site in the central business district (CBD) of Sydney in Australia, March 15, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Australia employment unexpectedly fell in July to end two months of very strong growth, while the jobless rate ticked higher in a sign the drum-tight labour market might finally be loosening. "Even so, the deterioration in the labour market has a long way to run before the RBA can completely relax." The labour market has proved remarkably resilient with 399,000 net jobs added in the 12 months to July even as interest rates have climbed 400 basis points to a decade-high of 4.1%. "It is getting harder to argue for a sustained lift in wage inflation momentum," said Justin Smirk, a senior economist at Westpac.

Persons: David Gray, Ben Udy, Justin Smirk, Wayne Cole, Jacqueline Wong, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Australia, Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS, Oxford Economics Australia, Westpac, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ China's new home prices fall for first time this year, dimming economic outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 0.2% fall month-on-month came after June's flat reading, according to Reuters calculations based on National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data. The decline in home prices comes amid a worsening debt crisis at major developers, sliding property investment and home sales. Among 70 cities, 49 saw a fall in new home prices month-on-month in July from 38 cities the previous month. However, most economists expect the downside trend in home sales and prices to persist for while. "Without additional major policy easing and/or fiscal support, property sales and investment may weaken further or stay at the bottom for longer than assumed in our baseline," said Wang.

Persons: Jason Lee, Goldman Sachs, Wang Tao, Wang, Qiaoyi Li, Liangping Gao, Ryan Woo, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Goldman, Asia Economics, China, UBS Investment Bank, Thomson Locations: Wangjing, China, BEIJING, Zhengzhou, Xian, Fuzhou

Construction workers take a nap in front of a wall of a construction site during their lunch break in Beijing, China, May 5, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon /File PhotoAug 15 (Reuters) - China suspended publication of its youth jobless data on Tuesday, saying it needed to review the methodology behind the closely watched benchmark, which has hit record highs in one of many warning signs for the world's second-largest economy. Fu Linghui, a spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said the release of data would be suspended while authorities look to "optimise" collection methods. "The declining availability of macro data may further weaken global investors' confidence in China," said Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, adding that youth unemployment was expected to have risen in July. The most recent NBS data on youth unemployment, published last month, showed the jobless rate jumping to a record high of 21.3% in June.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Fu Linghui, Fu, Ting Lu, Tuesday's, Laurie Chen, Albee Zhang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Sam Holmes, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Nomura, China News Service, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Weibo

Japan’s Q2 GDP grows fastest in more than two yearsMarcel Thieliant, head of Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics, said the export-driven momentum in growth is unlikely to be sustained. Exports expanded 3.2% in the second quarter led by car exports and inbound tourism, while capital expenditure was flat. Strong U.S. and European demand has also supported exports while the post-COVID boom in foreign tourists has given the economy a much-needed tailwind. That boost in external demand, or net exports, added 1.8 percentage points to second quarter growth. It doesn't mean a strong recovery in Japanese economy," said Takumi Tsunoda, senior economist at Shinkin Central Bank Research Institute.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Marcel Thieliant, Thieliant, Takumi Tsunoda, Shigeyuki Goto, Goto, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Pasit Kongkunakornkul, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, TOKYO, Capital Economics, Private, U.S, Shinkin Central Bank Research Institute, The Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, China

☆ Asia suffers China blues; dollar hits 2023 top on yen
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) eased another 1.1%, after shedding 2% last week. Japan's Nikkei (.N225) was off 0.5%, even as exporters drew support from the weak yen. The sour mood saw S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures shed early gains to each ease 0.1%. That rise juiced the dollar against the low-yielding yen, lifting it as far as 145.22 and a peak not seen since November last year. The rise in the dollar and yields was weighing on gold at $1,911 an ounce , having fallen for three weeks in a row.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Brent, Wayne Cole, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: Nikkei, SYDNEY, Japan's Nikkei, Zhongrong International Trust Co, HK, Nasdaq, Amazon's, Federal, Goldman, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Russian, Black, Asia, Pacific, Japan

☆ Google-backed Anthropic raises $100 mln from South Korea's SK Telecom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of SK Telecom is pictured at the GSMA's 2023 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File PhotoSEOUL, Aug 14 (Reuters) - South Korea's largest telco SK Telecom (017670.KS) said it will invest $100 million in U.S. artificial intelligence firm Anthropic to strengthen its telecommunications-driven AI business. SK Telecom, which also made a smaller investment in May, said on Sunday that the two companies plan to jointly develop a global telecommunications-oriented multilingual large language model and build an AI platform. SK Telecom declined to reveal the size of its May investment or the size of its stake in Anthropic. In July, SK Telecom agreed with Deutsche Telekom, e& and Singapore Telecommunications to form an alliance to jointly develop telecommunications-driven AI businesses.

Persons: Nacho, Anthropic, Claude, OpenAI's, Joyce Lee, Sam Holmes Organizations: SK Telecom, Congress, REUTERS, telco SK Telecom, OpenAI, Google, Spark Capital, Deutsche Telekom, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, SEOUL, KS, Anthropic

☆ Naver's 'Webtoon' CEO says barrier for new entrants is high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The global webtoon industry made $4.7 billion in 2021 and is projected to make $60.1 billion by 2030, according to Spherical Insights & Consulting. But Kim Junkoo, CEO and founder of Webtoon Entertainment - a unit of Naver which originated the format in 2004 - says rivals will struggle to build a viable business. Webtoon Entertainment and its subsidiary have run amateur artists' debut programmes for years, generating 1.6 million titles from 900,000 creators as of January. Naver said in recent earnings calls that it expected to list the Webtoon business in the United States next year, but did not elaborate on size, timing or venue. Webtoon Entertainment reported a 13 billion won operating loss in the April-June quarter, smaller than the 21.4 billion won loss in the first quarter.

Persons: Kim Junkoo, Kim, we've, Apple, Naver, 1,330.1200, Joyce Lee, Sam Holmes Organizations: WEBTOON, REUTERS, Consulting, Amazon Japan, Apple, Webtoon Entertainment, Entertainment, Korea Creative Content Agency, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, SEOUL, Korean, Silicon, Japan, Korea, United, United States

☆ Chinese bourses improve trading mechanism to revive stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man wearing a mask walks by the Shanghai Stock Exchange building at the Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China, February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoHONG KONG, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges said late Thursday they would study measures to lower investors' trading costs and improve liquidity to further stimulate the market. They also came after China's securities regulators nudged mutual fund managers to cut fees to reduce trading costs. More specifically, investors trading stocks or listed funds would be allowed to place orders of a minimum of one share, or one unit. Such a change would reduce investors' costs, enable more efficient use of capital, and help improve market liquidity, the bourses said.

Persons: Aly, HONG KONG, bourses, Samuel Shen, Twinnie Siu, Bernadette Baum, Sam Holmes Organizations: Shanghai Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Pudong, Shanghai, China, HONG, Shenzhen, Beijing, Hong Kong

☆ Shares, dollar gains after moderate US CPI data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Herbert Lash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The consumer price index (CPI) gained 0.2% last month, the Labor Department said, lifting the annualized rate to 3.2% from 3% in June. The pace of core CPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, slowed to 4.7% in July from 4.8% the prior month. But investors remained cautious as another CPI report and jobs data await Fed policymakers before their next meeting in September. MSCI's gauge of stock performance across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) gained 0.38%, while the pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) rose 0.79%. Gold prices ticked up after the U.S. inflation data on speculation the Fed is at the end of its rate hike cycle.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Russell Price, Price, Brad Bechtel, Brad Conger, Callaghan, Brent, Herbert Lash, Samuel Indyk, Ankur Banerjee, Edwina Gibbs, Sam Holmes, Susan Fenton, Alexandra Hudson, Richard Chang Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Global, Labor Department, Reuters, Fed, Ameriprise, FX, Jefferies, Co, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Treasury, U.S, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Troy , Michigan, Conshohocken , Pennsylvania, CHINA, China, Asia, Pacific, Japan, London

"We're going to see our first rise in headline inflation after 12 consecutive months of falling prices," said Ben Laidler, global markets strategist at eToro. The pan-European benchmark STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.5%, supported by gains in the luxury sector (.STXLUXP) after China lifted a ban on group tours in the United States and other key markets. In currency markets, the dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six peers, eased 0.4%. "We've got $1 trillion coming down the pipe over the next three months," eToro's Laidler said. "Any sign that markets are absorbing that well, which we got the first signs of yesterday, will be very well taken."

Persons: Ben Laidler, Laidler, Germany's DAX, Rodrigo Catril, We've, eToro's Laidler, Bond, Brent, Samuel Indyk, Ankur Banerjee, Edwina Gibbs, Sam Holmes, Susan Fenton, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse, Reuters, CAC, FTSE, Wall, National Australia Bank, U.S, Treasury, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Silicon, China, United States, Europe's, Europe, CHINA, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Russia

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