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[1/2] Banknotes of Chinese yuan and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 29, 2022. Yet the euro was flat against the dollar at $1.048, after falling 0.2% in the previous session. In Asia, China's yuan firmed as the government announced measures that marked a sharp change to its tough, three-year-old zero-COVID policy that has battered its economy and sparked historic protests. "Anticipation of further easing of measures in China should continue to favour RMB (and) RMB-linked assets." "China's reopening will be bumpy in coming months and economic data will likely get worse before it gets better."

Forrest said in a statement Squadron had acquired CWP Renewables but did not disclose the price. And the more we create and deploy new renewable energy, the cheaper it becomes for every Australian and the world," Forrest told Reuters after the announcement. With CWP Renewables, Squadron would have the scale it needs to meet demand from large commercial and industrial customers for reliable green energy in eastern Australia, he said. Willoughby said CWP aimed to give the go-ahead by March 2023 to build a 400 MW wind farm, which would cost more than A$1 billion. There are literally trillions of dollars of capital looking for green energy projects," he said.

SYDNEY/MELBOURNE, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest's private firm Squadron Energy has acquired CWP Renewables in Australia for more than A$4 billion ($2.7 billion), three people familiar with the deal said on Wednesday. Forrest said in a statement Squadron had acquired CWP Renewables, owner of 1.1 gigawatts of wind farms and a development pipeline of 1.3 GW of wind and solar farms in Australia, but did not disclose the price. CWP was sold by Swiss-based investor Partners Group (PGHN.S), which said it built the Australian business up after first investing in the Sapphire Wind Farm in the state of New South Wales in 2016. Other companies that had looked at CWP included Spain's Iberdrola (IBE.MC), Tilt Renewables, partly owned by AGL Energy (AGL.AX), and Origin Energy (ORG.AX), all aiming to expand in renewable energy as Australia speeds up its transition away from coal-fired power. With CWP Renewables, Squadron would have the scale it needs in eastern Australia to meet demand from large commercial and industrial customers for reliable green energy, Forrest said.

☆ Reaction to China relaxing COVID restrictions in major policy shift
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REDMOND WONG, GREATER CHINA MARKET STRATEGIST, SAXO MARKETS, HONG KONG"The 10 new measures are underwhelming, given the high expectations. GARY NG, ECONOMIST, NATIXIS, HONG KONG"The latest announcements show China is determined to speed up its reopening due to economic pressure. It is likely to see upswings cyclically in business sentiment from suppressed demand, especially in sectors heavily affected by the covid restrictions. "The next checkpoint will be Chinese New Year; I think markets are looking for further relaxation to facilitate return to their hometowns by Chinese New Year." SAKTIANDI SUPAAT, REGIONAL HEAD OF FX RESEARCH & STRATEGY, MAYBANK, SINGAPORE"I think markets have, in some ways, priced in that element (of further easing).

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) for example had risen more than 10% in the last month and almost 20% since September. "Some of this is just a bit of consolidation from the last few weeks," she said, noting that stocks had taken a leg lower when Treasury yields gained and oil prices switched from red to green on Monday as the prospect of higher oil prices brought inflation concerns back to the forefront. Along with inflation trends, investors are also monitoring Federal Reserve commentary for any clues on its future rate hiking path. Earlier, U.S. crude oil futures had fallen to December 2021 levels on concerns about demand in China - the world's biggest crude importer. A view of a giant display of stock indexes, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China, October 24, 2022.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) slipped 0.50% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) shed 0.71%. Emerging market stocks (.MSCIEF) dropped 0.94%. In currencies, the safe-haven Swiss franc and Japanese yen gained, while the Aussie dollar and Chinese yuan underperformed. CHINA FEARSIn Treasuries Benchmark 10-year notes were down 2.8 basis points to 3.674%, from 3.702% late on Friday. The 30-year bond was last down 2.7 basis points to yield 3.725%, from 3.752%, while the 2-year note was down 3.9 basis points to yield 4.4402%.

China's CSI300 Index (.CSI300) was down 1.8% after opening down 2.2% while the yuan also retreated. Australia's benchmark stock index (.AXJO) closed 0.42% lower while its risk-sensitive currency was off more than 1%. Japan's Nikkei stock index (.N225) was down 0.6%. In Shanghai, demonstrators and police clashed on Sunday night as protests over the country's stringent COVID restrictions flared for a third day. The COVID rules and resulting protests are creating fears the economic hit for China will be greater than first expected.

South Korea's KOSPI 200 index (.KS200) retreated 1.35% in early trade and New Zealand's S&P/NZX50 Index (.NZ50) was off 0.4%. In China, demonstrators and police clashed in Shanghai on Sunday night as protests over the country's stringent COVID restrictions flared for a third day. There were also protests in Wuhan, Chengdu and parts of the capital Beijing late Sunday as COVID restrictions were put in place in an attempt to quell fresh outbreaks. The COVID rules and resulting protests are creating fears the economic hit for China will be greater than expected. "This remains a headwind for oil demand that, combined with weakness in the U.S. dollar, is creating a negative backdrop for oil prices."

☆ Comments from market watchers on the COVID-19 protests in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ALVIN TAN, ASIA FX STRATEGIST, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, SINGAPORE:"The scale of the protests will necessarily elicit a response from Beijing. KEN CHEUNG, CHIEF ASIA FX STRATEGIST, MIZUHO, HONG KONG:"The China economy is heading to the direction of reopening but the road to the reopening could be a bumpy one. "Overall, the China Q4 growth outlook should remain grim given the COVID resurgence and the related mobility tightening. GARY NG, ECONOMIST, NATIXIS, HONG KONG:"The market does not like uncertainties that are difficult to price and the China protests clearly fall into this category. MARTIN PETCH, VICE PRESIDENT, MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE:"We expect the protests ... to dissipate relatively quickly and without resulting in serious political violence.

☆ Market watchers' comments on COVID-19 protests in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Here's what market watchers are saying about the unrest:ALLAN VON MEHREN, CHIEF ANALYST, DANSKE BANK, COPENHAGEN:"Normally protests in China are aimed at local governments but a crowd in Shanghai directed their protest against the Communist Party and Xi Jinping." "The protests come as the recent tweaks in the zero-Covid policy seem to have backfired as they led to rising cases across the country that subsequently triggered new restrictions being implemented. MARK HAEFELE, GLOBAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT CIO, UBS, ZURICH:"We do not expect economic or market headwinds in China to abate significantly over the coming months. KEN CHEUNG, CHIEF ASIA FX STRATEGIST, MIZUHO, HONG KONG:"The China economy is heading to the direction of reopening but the road to the reopening could be a bumpy one. GARY NG, ECONOMIST, NATIXIS, HONG KONG:"The market does not like uncertainties that are difficult to price and the China protests clearly fall into this category.

☆ Chinese nickel firm Lygend to raise $470 mln in Hong Kong IPO - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Alexander Marrow | Supantha Mukherjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 25 (Reuters) - Chinese nickel producer and trader Lygend Resources has priced shares at HK$15.80 apiece to raise $470m in its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO), according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Ningbo-based firm sold 232.54 million shares in the IPO, the fourth largest in Hong Kong so far in 2022. The biggest IPO fundraising so far this year has been CALB's (3931.HK) $1.28 billion issue. The company says it is the world's largest nickel product trader, and the largest in China in terms of nickel ore trading in 2021, with a market share of 26.8% in 2021. ($1 = 7.8120 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Georgina Lee in Hong Kong; Additional reporting Gao Zhuo; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was up 0.3%, after U.S. stocks ended the previous session with gains. Australian shares (.AXJO) were up 0.7%, with most gains coming from mining and resources giants as a result of higher oil prices. Case numbers in Beijing and Shanghai are steadily rising, prompting authorities to close some facilities. "The biggest story for investors in Asia is still the China reopening," said Suresh Tantia, Credit Suisse's senior investment strategist in Singapore. While the FTX exchange collapse continues to roil cryptocurrency markets, Bitcoin was 0.33% higher in Asian trading hours to $16,184.

Banks struggled to find demand from junk-bond investors for $2.4 billion of secured bonds and loans that is part of the debt package after a weeks-long marketing effort, the sources said. It showed the challenges banks face to sell down highly leveraged debt this quarter as bond yields spiked in response to a hawkish Fed policy and recessionary fears. The source would not say whether that would mean re-offering the debt to investors at even juicier terms. The end result is the banks involved are digging into their own pockets to provide the whole debt for the Tenneco acquisition which closed on Thursday. So it's almost like investors have seen this cycle occur that makes them question the outlook of something like Tenneco," he added.

☆ Reactions to Trump announcing 2024 White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's aides filed paperwork for his 2024 White House bid on Tuesday as the former president launched a run to regain the title, aiming to pre-empt potential Republican rivals. Republicans are meanwhile closing in on the 218 seats they need to take a majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives. COMMENTS:ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FOUNDER, SKYBRIDGE CAPITAL, SINGAPORE (FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR)"You know how you have a zombie that you can’t kill, like in the Night of the Walking Dead? If any one of those other candidates can present themselves with some of the Trump messaging without the Trump drama, there might be opportunities." Neil Young said 'it's better to burn out than fade away'...feels like Trump will go down this time with little glory."

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was up 0.1%, following mild losses for U.S. overnight. Australian shares (.AXJO) lost 0.28%, while Japan's Nikkei stock index (.N225) was off 0.16%. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index (.HSI) was flat while China's CSI300 Index (.CSI300) was down 0.3%. Some Chinese cities have begun cutting routine community testing, days after China announced an easing of some of its heavy-handed coronavirus measures. China reported 17,909 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 14 compared with 16,203 a day earlier.

HONG KONG/SYDNEY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The fintech arm of Chinese e-commerce firm JD.Com (9618.HK) aims to win Beijing regulators' approval to list in Hong Kong as soon as the end of the year, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said, after a first attempt failed earlier this year. Reuters reported in May that JD Tech's original plan for a Hong Kong IPO was put on ice because it could not get regulatory approval for the deal to proceed. As a domestically incorporated company, JD Tech - JD.Com's fintech, cloud and artificial intelligence unit - needs approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) to list offshore, including in the Chinese-controlled territory of Hong Kong. JD Tech, which was hived off as a separate unit in mid-2017, had appointed several banks to work on the IPO, but progress had slowed as it failed to win regulatory approval first time around, sources have previously told Reuters. read moreReporting by Julie Zhu and Kane Wu in Hong Kong and Scott Murdoch in Sydney; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

More than a dozen Chinese companies have unveiled plans to follow suit, according to exchange filings. The China-Switzerland Connect allows Chinese companies to raise capital by issuing and listing GDRs on Swiss bourse SIX. Swiss firms can issue Chinese Depository Receipts on the Chinese exchanges. She said UBS is also discussing with Chinese firms about listing in Frankfurt once rules are in place, so "our GDR mandates will keep coming". Despite the brighter prospects, deal sizes have been comparatively small, with Gotion's $685 million Swiss listing the biggest so far under the Swiss connect scheme.

SINGAPORE, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) has cut eight jobs in its Southeast Asia investment banking and capital markets team, two sources familiar with the matter said, just weeks after the Swiss bank announced a major global restructuring plan. One of the sources said the cuts in Southeast Asia affected teams involved with products, sector coverage and capital markets, but had not impacted managing directors. Jobs were also being cut elsewhere in the region, the two sources said, but did not provide details. The overall job reductions in Asia were less than what most employees had expected, three sources said. ($1 = 0.9649 Swiss francs)Reporting by Anshuman Daga and Scott Murdoch; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia's Westpac to tap U.S. dollar bond market - term sheet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Australia's Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) has mandated banks to work on two- and five-year U.S. dollar bond issuances, according to a term sheet reviewed by Reuters. Westpac raised A$2.8 billion ($1.82 billion) in an Australian-dollar-denominated bond on Monday, domestic media said. The bank plans to issue in U.S. dollars a two-year fixed rate bond, a two-year floating rate note, and a five-year fixed rate transaction, the term sheet showed. The final pricing is due to be set later in the New York trading session on Wednesday, subject to market conditions, according to the term sheet. Westpac planned to use the U.S. dollar proceeds from the bonds for general corporate purposes, the term sheet showed.

Nov 10 (Reuters) - Origin Energy Ltd (ORG.AX), Australia's no.2 power producer and energy retailer, backed an A$18.4 billion ($11.8 billion) non-binding buyout offer from a consortium led by Canada's Brookfield Asset Management, the companies said on Thursday. The deal sent Origin's share price soaring nearly 40% in early trade to A$8.14. Origin opened its books to the consortium after it raised its offer to A$9 per share in cash, a near 55% premium to Origin's last close of A$5.81. The bid from Brookfield comes after it was rebuffed earlier this year when it led a $3.5 billion takeover offer for Australia's top power producer, AGL Energy (AGL.AX). Under the indicative proposal submitted on Thursday, Brookfield would acquire Origin's energy markets business, while MidOcean Energy, the other consortium partner, would take control of Origin's integrated gas business, including its 27.5% stake in Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG).

☆ China's Fosun to raise $561 million from mining sale stake as part of asset selldown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - China's Fosun International Ltd (0656.HK) said on Monday it would raise $561 million by selling part of its shares in Zhaojin Mining Industry Co (1818.HK) as part of its ongoing string of asset sell-downs. The company, through one of its units, is offloading 654.1 million Zhaojin Mining shares for HK$6.72 each, a 1.8% discount from the closing price on Nov. 4. Fosun had owned about 22.85% of Zhaojin Mining's shares and will retain a 2.85% stake in the Hong Kong listed company. The transaction announced on Monday is the second time Fosun has sold Zhaojin stock and has raised $663.73 million from both deals. Fosun, controlled by billionaire entrepreneur Guo Guangchang, was once one of China's most aggressive dealmakers overseas, buying high-profile assets including resort brand Club Med.

HONG KONG, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Wall Street major Morgan Stanley (MS.N) is expected to start a fresh round of layoffs globally in the coming weeks, three people with knowledge of the plan said, as dealmaking business takes a hit due to rising inflation and an economic downturn. One of the sources said the bank's 30-plus technology investment banking team in Asia Pacific will also be affected by the cuts. Morgan Stanley last month reported a 30% slump in third-quarter profit, missing analysts' estimate as a slowdown in global dealmaking hurt its investment bank business. Gorman is currently in Hong Kong at a high-profile financial summit aimed at re-opening the city to international investors after nearly three years of strict COVID restrictions. Reporting by Kane Wu and Julie Zhu in Hong Kong, Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Lananh Nguyen in New York; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Perpetual rejected a $A30 per share offer proposal from Barings Private Equity Asia (BPEA), which was recently bought by EQT (EQTAB.ST), and Australian firm Regal Partners (RPL.AX). Perpetual shares rose by as much as 10.1% early on Thursday, the company's best session in more than two years, before retreating to be up 6.6%. Perpetual said it would press on with its planned A$2.51 billion acquisition of rival Pendal Group (PDL.AX) announced in August. The private equity offer represents a premium of about 11.5% to Perpetual's last close of A$26.90. BPEA is one of the region's largest private equity firms and was bought by EQT in March.

☆ Hong Kong's Lee touts 'China advantage' to rebuild city's image as financial hub
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks during the Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit in Hong Kong, China November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuNov 2 (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader John Lee pitched the city's connection with China in an address to some of the world's top financial executives, as he pushes to rebuild the COVID-ravaged city's image as a major financial hub. Chief Executive Lee told the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit on Wednesday the city would continue working towards lifting COVID restrictions. "Hong Kong remains the only place in the world where the global advantage and the China advantage come together in a single city," Lee said. Authorities, he said, were keen for more international companies to list in Hong Kong to grow the city's capital markets activities.

HONG KONG, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong aims to restore its reputation as a global financial hub by playing host to a bevy of top Wall Street executives this week, defying critics who say a talent crunch and geopolitical tension will hobble its ambition. Alongside the main theme of "navigating through uncertainty", the summit is widely expected to focus on whether Hong Kong can remain a global financial centre after almost three years of border controls and pandemic restrictions. COVID-19 CONTROLSThe two-day summit, organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) - the de-facto central bank - has suffered at least two marquee participants dropping out after contracting COVID-19. Those who make it will look for reassurances of the city returning to pre-pandemic normalcy, making it easier for them to move talent to Hong Kong. Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Kane Wu and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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