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☆ Westpac to layoff 300 workers in business and retail unit, says trade union
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 12 (Reuters) - Australian lender Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) will cut around 300 jobs in its consumer and business banking segments at a time of strong profit growth amid rising interest rates and soaring inflation, a local trade body said. The Finance Sector Union of Australia (FSU) said on Friday the country's third-largest bank would reduce headcount from its Consumer and Business Banking Division, citing a Westpac internal memo seen by the union. 2 mortgage provider reported a 22% rise in its first half net profit to A$4.00 billion ($2.70 billion) amid a high-inflationary environment. The bank could not be reached immediately for a comment on account of a public holiday on Monday. ($1 = 1.4839 Australian dollars)Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Julia Angrisano, Rishav Chatterjee, Rashmi Organizations: Westpac Banking Corp, Finance Sector Union of Australia, FSU, Consumer, Business Banking, Westpac, Reuters, ANZ Group, National Australia Bank, DBS, Australia's, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ What Apple's entry into virtual reality means for the future of Meta Platforms and the metaverse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Meta Platforms ' vision to sell a future where people work, play and mingle in a virtual world may finally be getting its long-overdue validation thanks to an unlikely partner. Apple on Monday unveiled its highly anticipated mixed reality product, known as Vision Pro , at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference . So confident in the bright future of the metaverse, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta Platforms in 2021 to better reflect its vision beyond social media. More than a year and a half later Apple's metaverse entry may finally offer the much-needed support to Meta's overambitious vision, and lure once skeptical investors back to the virtual world. With the company — and metaverse vision — so dependent on consumer adoption, this creates a difficult near-term setup, Meeks said.

Persons: It's, Mark Zuckerberg, Gucci, Meta's, Gene Munster, Wall, Paul Meeks, JPMorgan's Samik Chatterjee, Advisors Capital Management's JoAnne Feeney, Meeks, Davidson's Tom Forte, scoffed, Apple's, Feeney, Bernstein's Toni Sacconaghi Organizations: Apple, Developers, Facebook, Walmart, Grill, Independent Solutions Wealth Management, Advisors Capital, Munster, Quest

The business conference will draw about 2,000 attendees from Greater China, in what will be one of the region's biggest-yet business delegation to Saudi Arabia, according to one person with direct knowledge of the matter. "From the perspective of both capital and new market, the Middle East, Saudi Arabia are really good new choices for Chinese companies and investors," said Henry Zhang, president of Hong Kong-based private equity firm Hermitage Capital. "Since late last year, a large number of Chinese funds have rushed to the Middle East looking for new investors. For the upcoming conference, Chinese entrepreneurs in attendance represent a range of industries -- from renewable energy and artificial intelligence to biotech, finance and tourism. "Previously, I had to actively pitch Chinese companies to consider Saudi Arabia as their destination of outbound investment and overseas expansion.

Persons: Xi Jinping's, Antony Blinken, Henry Zhang, Zhang, Robert Mogielnicki, Edison Gao, I've, Gao, Julie Zhu, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Sumeet Chatterjee, Michael Perry Organizations: China Business Conference, Hermitage Capital, Gulf States Institute, Ajlan, Brothers, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, RIYADH, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Arab, Gulf, Beijing, Washington, U.S, Greater China, East, Hong Kong, Hermitage, China, Saudi, Rachna, Dubai

Star fund manager Zhang Kun, who manages nearly 90 billion yuan for Guangzhou-based E Fund Management, has seen his flagship 56 billion yuan Blue Chip Selected Mixed Fund lose 8% so far this year. The fund soared 95% in 2020 which attracted significant subscriptions and helped Zhang become China's first so-called "100 billion fund manager". Another high profile fund manager, Ge Lan at Lombarda China Fund Management, saw her flagship 28 billion yuan healthcare fund retreat 7% in 2021 and 23% in 2022, after a nearly 100% gain in 2020. "Not just mutual funds, the overall fund issuance is difficult, as this is closely connected with the economic situation," Steve Chen, partner of Shanghai-based hedge fund manager MX Capital. To boost market sentiment, some mutual funds announced fee cuts or started to purchase their own fund shares recently.

Persons: Thomas Peter HONG, Jiao Jinyuan, Zhang Kun, Zhang, Ge Lan, Emily Gao, Steve Chen, Debbie Dai, Dai, China Asset’s Jiao, Summer Zhen, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Z, Ben Advisors, CSI, China Asset Management, Star, E Fund Management, China Fund Management, MX Capital, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Thomas Peter HONG KONG, Guangzhou, Shanghai

Citigroup (C.N) had at one point shown interest in acquiring Credit Suisse Securities China (CSS), they added. Citi, whose CEO Jane Fraser was in China this week, is setting up a securities brokerage in China. UBS already has a majority-owned securities brokerage business in China. UBS and a spokesperson representing both Credit Suisse and CSS declined to comment. Founder Securities and the China Securities Regulatory Commission did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Persons: Jane Fraser, Selena Li, Engen Tham, Sumeet Chatterjee, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, Citigroup, Credit Suisse Securities China, Citi, Securities, SS, CSS, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, China, Swiss, Hong Kong, Shanghai

☆ Dollarama beats sales estimates on strong demand for essentials
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - Canadian discount store chain Dollarama Inc (DOL.TO) beat market expectations for quarterly sales on Wednesday, benefiting from strong demand for its cheaper groceries and household supplies. The company's U.S. counterpart Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O), however, trimmed its annual profit forecast in May, while Dollar General Corp (DG.N) cut its annual profit and sales forecast, both citing slowing demand for discretionary goods. Last month, retail bellwether Walmart Inc (WMT.N) said it saw strong demand for its low-priced groceries and other essentials, and is expecting this trend to continue in the back half of the year. Dollarama on Wednesday reaffirmed its fiscal 2024 same store sales forecast and gross margin at 5.0% to 6.0% and 43.5% to 44.5%, respectively. The company's sales rose to C$1.29 billion ($964 million) in the first quarter, from C$1.07 billion a year earlier, compared with analysts' average estimate of C$1.25 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Persons: Dollarama, Juveria Tabassum, Aatrayee Chatterjee, Shailesh Organizations: Inc, Dollar, Corp, Walmart Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, Refinitiv, Bengaluru

George Clinical declined to comment. The private equity firm has entered a deal to buy most of George Clinical, the clinical research organisation said in December, adding the transaction was subject to FIRB approval. George Clinical did not disclose a sale price but said its parent, the George Institute, a medical research group, would retain an undefined stake. The George Clinical deal would involve the holding of healthcare and patient data which is considered sensitive in Australia. Hillhouse has offered to ensure data remains onshore and not be shared overseas, the people said.

Persons: George Clinical, Hillhouse, Zhang Lei, George, George Clinical's, Scott Murdoch, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Hillhouse Capital, Foreign Investment, Board, of, Treasury, George Institute, Yale University, Tencent Holdings, HK, JD.com Inc, Baidu Inc, Koninklijke Philips NV, Thomson, & $ Locations: HONG KONG, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, United States, Australia, China, Refinitiv, Netherlands, Asia, Pacific, Sydney

☆ CNBC Daily Open: New highs for the S&P and Nasdaq
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Knife River Corporation CFO Nathan Ring, rings the bell on the floor of the New York Stock on June 01, 2023 in New York City. This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Despite stumbles in some big-name stocks yesterday, markets managed to climb as the uncertainty of previous weeks dissipated. Apple shares dipped 0.2% as investors digested information on the technology giant's new mixed-reality headset.

Persons: Nathan Ring, Goldman Sachs, Samik Chatterjee, Coinbase, weren't fazed, — Organizations: New York Stock, CNBC, Apple, Worldwide Developers, JPMorgan, Boeing, BMO Capital Markets, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Fed Locations: New York City

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Troubled economies, calm markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Despite stumbles in some big-name stocks yesterday, U.S. markets managed to climb as the uncertainty of previous weeks dissipated. Apple shares dipped 0.2% as investors digested information on the technology giant's new mixed reality headset. The CBOE Volatility Index, a measure of investors' 30-day expectations and typically seen as Wall Street's fear gauge, dropped to 13.96 yesterday.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Samik Chatterjee, Coinbase, weren't fazed, —, That's Organizations: CNBC, Apple, Worldwide Developers, JPMorgan, Boeing, BMO Capital Markets, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Fed Locations: Lianyungang Port, East China's Jiangsu, U.S

☆ Exclusive: China's state banks told to lower cap on dollar deposit rates -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, June 6 (Reuters) - In a rare attempt to bolster China's yuan, a self-regulatory body overseen by the country's central bank has told major state-owned banks to lower dollar deposit interest rates, four people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The buoyant U.S. currency and the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes have prompted many Chinese companies to hoard dollar receipts. China's central bank said last month it would resolutely curb large fluctuations in the exchange rate and study the strengthening of self-regulation of dollar deposits. China's central bank has so far appeared calm after the yuan breached the psychologically important 7 per dollar level in May. During previous rounds of depreciation, the central bank has sent verbal messages against one-way bets on the yuan.

Persons: Sumeet Chatterjee, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter, Alexander Smith Organizations: Reuters, People's Bank of China, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, BEIJING, United States, China, Beijing

☆ 'A revolutionary product': Here's what Wall Street is saying about Apple's new Vision Pro headset device that costs $3,499
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple announced the Vision Pro, a $3,499 mixed-reality headset that will be released in early 2024. Wall Street is reacting to the device, with one analyst expecting more than 1 million units sold in its first year. The $3,499 Vision Pro headset offers both augmented- and virtual-reality capabilities, hand-based gesture controls, and advanced eye tracking. Those ranges imply that the Vision Pro will generate between $525 million and $5.2 billion in revenue next year. Rating: Neutral — Price Target: $190"The price tag of $3,499 was higher than the $3K broadly speculated.

Persons: —, Wedbush, Dan Ives, America's Wasmi Mohan, Price, Samik Chatterjee, Goldman Sachs, We're, Michael Ng Organizations: Apple, Vision, Apple Watch, Service, Bank of America, Wall, Meta, Bank, America's, JPMorgan Locations: Cupertino

☆ Here's what analysts are saying about Apple's new Vision Pro headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The tech giant on Monday unveiled its Vision Pro mixed reality headset, which will retail for $3,499. Davidson downgraded Apple stock to neutral , insisting that any positive bump from the Vision Pro announcement was already priced into the stock's current trading levels. that if Apple's Vision Pro could achieve a ~25% ship share this would leave us to est. He raised his price target to $210 from $185, implying upside of about 17% from Monday's close. To be sure, he maintained Apple as a top pick and with a price target of $190.

Persons: Apple's, D.A, Davidson, Wells, Aaron Rakers, Rakers, Goldman Sachs, restating, Michael Ng, Samik Chatterjee, Chatterjee, Bernstein's Toni Sacconaghi, Sacconaghi, Morgan Stanley's Erik Woodring, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Apple, Apple's, JPMorgan Locations: Wall, Monday's

But China, which bristles at visits to Taiwan by foreign government officials, tends to ignore trips by business executives, who usually keep clear of politics. Dimon will meet bank employees and clients in Taiwan on his visit, said the source, who sought anonymity as the plans were not public, while adding that no meetings were planned with Taiwan officials. As part of his Asia tour, Dimon will also visit South Korea after the Taiwan trip, said the source. But there was no plan for President Tsai Ing-wen to meet Dimon, her office said on Friday. Dimon favours East-West "derisking" rather than decoupling, he told the three-day JPMorgan Global China Summit event in the city on Wednesday.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, Andrew Collier, Dimon, Nvidia Corp's, Jensen Huang, Pat Gelsinger, Dimon's, Ma Ying, Tsai Ing, Chen Jining, Selena Li, Kane Wu, Scott Murdoch, Ben Blanchard, Emily Chan, Mrinmay Dey, Sumeet Chatterjee, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: JPMorgan Chase &, JPMorgan, Orient Capital Research, Bloomberg, Wall, U.S, Nvidia, Intel, Financial, Commission, Shanghai's Communist, JPMorgan Global China, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, China, Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong, Asia, South Korea, East, United States, Sydney, Bengaluru

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE, June 1 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian e-commerce and gaming giant Sea Ltd (SE.N) is winding down its investment arm, two people with knowledge of the matter said, amid a cooling investment environment globally as macroeconomic and market uncertainty weigh on valuations. The arm, Sea Capital, stopped new equity investing in 2022 with leadership moving on in May, while Sea itself is placing less priority on investing given market conditions, one of the people said. Singapore-based Sea launched Sea Capital in March 2021 with initial capital of $1 billion after buying Hong Kong's Composite Capital Management, founded by former Hillhouse Capital partner David Ma who became Sea's chief investment officer. One of the people said the decision to wind down Sea Capital was prompted by "less deal activity" resulting in fewer investment opportunities. Sea Capital had made at least three investments, including in 2021 into collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

Persons: David Ma, Ma, FTX, Kane Wu, Fanny Potkin, Sumeet Chatterjee, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Capital, Hong Kong's, Capital Management, Hillhouse, Sea, U.S, Asia's, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, Asia, Japan, Singapore, New York, Sea, India, Europe, Hong Kong

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE, June 1 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian e-commerce and gaming giant Sea Ltd (SE.N) is winding down its investment arm, two people with knowledge of the matter said, amid a cooling investment environment globally as macroeconomic and market uncertainty weigh on valuations. The arm, Sea Capital, stopped new equity investing in 2022 with leadership moving on in May, while Sea itself is placing less priority on investing given market conditions, one of the people said. Singapore-based Sea launched Sea Capital in March 2021 with initial capital of $1 billion after buying Hong Kong's Composite Capital Management, founded by former Hillhouse Capital partner David Ma who became Sea Capital's chief investment officer. One of the people said the decision to wind down Sea Capital was prompted by "less deal activity" resulting in fewer investment opportunities. Sea Capital had made at least three investments, including in 2021 into collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

Embattled Credit Suisse had been preparing for years to set up a wholly owned local bank in China. Credit Suisse and UBS declined to comment. The clock is ticking for UBS to close the deal with Credit Suisse. The China Securities Regulatory Commission did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. UBS currently runs a 67%-owned securities joint venture with a Beijing state-owned company.

Persons: Sergio Ermotti, Summer Zhen, Selena Li, Engen Tham, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, Swiss, Credit, National Financial Regulatory Administration, Suisse's, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, China, Swiss, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai

That could necessitate a second round of debt restructuring eventually at some of the developers, they said. Private developers have been in turmoil since mid-2021 following a crackdown on debt levels by Beijing that ensnared China Evergrande Group (3333.HK), then the No.2 developer, and eventually spread in the sector. Evergrande and Sunac China (1918.HK) are the most prominent among the handful of companies that have announced their offshore debt restructuring terms so far. More are expected to do so in the coming months, which will also include terms such as longer maturity extensions, lower coupons, and converting some debt into equity, developers and advisers said. Moreover, the private developers are staring at lower potential future revenues as they are unable to build on their land banks due to their precarious financial positions.

☆ UBS says it was rushed into unwanted Credit Suisse rescue merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Kane Wu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The wave of deposit outflows and a major share-price drop prompted Switzerland's central bank on March 15 to offer Credit Suisse liquidity assistance. The next day, UBS and Credit Suisse signed a confidentiality agreement upon which the former began due diligence, the UBS filing showed. By then, Credit Suisse was experiencing deposit and net asset outflows at levels substantially exceeding rates of the July-September quarter, UBS said. In early December, UBS management undertook a preliminary assessment of the consequences of a Credit Suisse purchase, which it presented to the Strategy Committee on Dec. 19. From December to mid-January, Credit Suisse executives had also been discussing with the government about its options including a merger with UBS, the UBS filing showed.

But, given the hopes invested in China's economic growth and liberalisation, foreign firms' demand for expert knowledge about the Chinese market, the regulatory landscape, potential business partners and opportunities will inevitably keep growing. Smaller firms saw opportunity to fill the space left by any rivals, like Capvision, that fall foul of China's authorities. China's expert network market, however, will suffer from bad publicity in the short-term, as "no one wants to be associated with police crackdown," said Max Friberg, CEO of Inex One, a Stockholm-based marketplace connecting investors with expert networks. For now though, the trade in expert information clearly has become more cautious. "It's unfortunate that the expert network business gets into the public limelight in such a way," China Insights Consultancy (CIC), the country's second largest expert network company, said in a statement to Reuters.

These consultancies thrived by providing investors - from global hedge funds to private equity firms - access to industry experts and investigators who could obtain valuable corporate information. One private credit investor who used to join Capvision's calls with "industry experts" said clients did not want to pay top dollar for easily available public information. Many China-based consultancy firms also outsourced on the ground investigations to local contractors. Even before the latest raids on consultancy firms, some due-diligence firms were warned to stay away from Xinjiang related projects, sometimes by security authorities, according to industry sources. China denies abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer that also supplies much of the world's materials for solar panels.

☆ Australia's Allkem, Livent to merge into $10.6 bln lithium giant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Harish Sridharan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 10 (Reuters) - Lithium producer Allkem Ltd (AKE.AX) has agreed to merge with U.S.-based Livent Corp (LTHM.N) to create one of the world's most valuable producers of the key raw materials used in electric-vehicle batteries. The all-stock deal will create a $10.6 billion entity, the fifth-largest in the world after Albemarle Corp (ALB.N), Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQMA.SN), Ganfeng Lithium Group (002460.SZ) and Tianqi Lithium Corp (002466.SZ). ASX-listed Allkem produces lithium carbonate from its Sal de Vida facility in Argentina, which is near Livent's Hombre Mureto lithium project. Livent, based in Philadelphia, supplies lithium products to multiple U.S. automakers, including General Motors Co (GM.N), Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and BMW (BMWG.DE). Under the deal, Allkem shareholders will get one share in the combined entity for each of their shares and the company will ultimately own 56% of the new firm.

☆ Allkem to merge with US lithium producer Livent Corp in $10 bln deal - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 10 (Reuters) - Australian lithium miner Allkem Ltd (AKE.AX) has inked a $10 billion merger agreement with U.S.-based chemical manufacturing firm Livent Corp (LTHM.N), the Australian Financial Review reported on Wednesday. The deal is anticipated to be announced overnight in the U.S., the report said. Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: CICC Capital bans consulting firm Capvision after China crackdown-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Julie Zhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Capvision is the latest consultancy and due diligence firm to get caught in Beijing's sweeping crackdown on what state media describes as "intensifying" law enforcement aimed at protecting national security. The ban will come into immediate effect, the memo said, adding that research teams should also review previous dealings with Capvision. CICC, which handles media queries for the alternate investment arm, declined to comment. Chinese police raided Capvision offices over what state media this week reported were national security issues. The CCTV report said Capvision had accepted projects from overseas companies to source information, including "state secrets and intelligence" on sensitive sectors including defence and advanced technology.

☆ Exclusive: HSBC reaches deal to buy out China fund partner -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, May 8 (Reuters) - HSBC (HSBA.L) has agreed to buy out its China fund management joint venture partner, two people familiar with the matter said, as the Asia-focused bank pushes ahead with expansion in the world's second-largest economy. HSBC, which currently owns a 49% stake in HSBC Jintrust Fund Management, has signed an agreement with Shanxi Trust under which the Chinese state-owned company will sell its 51% holding in the joint venture to the bank, said the sources. Representatives for Shanghai-headquartered HSBC Jintrust and Shanxi Trust did not immediately respond to a request for comment. HSBC's move to boost its stake in the fund venture is the lender's latest to expand its presence in China. The London-headquartered bank converted its China insurance joint venture to a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2021, and boosted ownership of its China securities joint venture to 90% last year.

In 2020, Bain Capital set up a previous global fund after securing $3.2 billion in commitments. The program was previously called Bain Capital Distressed and Special Situations Fund and used to sit within Bain Capital's credit business. Bain Capital's special situations strategy is now a standalone business, after being carved out with an independent team outside the umbrella of the credit unit. Globally, Bain Capital currently has $16 billion of assets under management as part of its special situations strategy. Last year, Bain Capital closed a $2 billion "special situations fund" for Asia Pacific to cover a range of asset types, which included a focus on real estate.

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