Business

Asian shares dip with eyes on China economy, US shutdown

Published

8 months ago

September 26, 2023

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Asian shares dip with eyes on China economy, US shutdown

Asian shares mostly sank Tuesday over worries about a possible U.S. government shutdown and the troubled Chinese economy.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.6% in morning trading to 32,469.85. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.5% to 7,042.50. South Korea’s Kospi dropped nearly 1.0% to 2,471.30. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.9% to 17,578.90, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 3,110.86.

Investors are watching for Chinese economic indicators being released later in the week.

“The Chinese property woes are far from over, as the notorious developer Evergrande defaulted on its 4 billion yuan onshore bond repayment and delayed the restructuring meetings,” said Tina Teng, market analyst at CMC Markets APAC & Canada.

Wall Street clawed back some of its steep losses from last week. The S&P 500 rose 17.38, or 0.4%, to 4,337.44, coming off its worst week in six months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 43.04, or 0.1%, to 34,006.88, and the Nasdaq composite gained 59.51, or 0.5%, to 13,271.32.

Realization is sinking in that the Federal Reserve will likely keep interest rates high well into next year. The Fed is trying to ensure high inflation gets back down to its target, and it said last week it will likely cut interest rates in 2024 by less than earlier expected. Its main interest rate is at its highest level since 2001.

The growing understanding that rates will stay higher for longer has pushed yields in the bond market up to their highest levels in more than a decade. That in turn makes investors less willing to pay high prices for all kinds of investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive or making their owners wait the longest for big growth.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.53% from 4.44% late Friday and is near its highest level since 2007. That’s up sharply from about 3.50% in May and from 0.50% about three years ago.

“Stocks digest gradual, growth driven increases in interest rates far better than rapid increases driven by other factors such as inflation or Fed policy,” Goldman Sachs strategists led by David Kostin wrote in a report.

Higher yields are at the head of a long line of concerns weighing on Wall Street. Not only have oil prices jumped by $20 per barrel since June, economies around the world are looking shaky. The resumption of U.S. student-loan repayments may also weaken what’s been the U.S. economy’s greatest strength, spending by households.

In the near term, the U.S. government may be set for another shutdown amid more political squabbles on Capitol Hill. But Wall Street has managed its way through previous shutdowns, and “history shows that past ones haven’t had much of an impact on the market,” according to Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investing at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.

On Wall Street, Amazon rose 1.7% and was the strongest single force pushing up on the S&P 500. The company announced an investment of up to $4 billion in Anthropic, as it takes a minority stake in the artificial intelligence startup. It’s the latest Big Tech company to pour money into AI in the race to profit from opportunities that the latest generation of the technology is set to fuel.

Stocks of media and entertainment companies were mixed after unionized screenwriters reached a tentative deal on Sunday to end their historic strike. No deal yet exists for striking actors.

Netflix rose 1.3%, while The Walt Disney Co. slipped 0.3%. Warner Brothers Discovery dropped 4% for the day’s largest loss in the S&P 500.

Also on the losing end of Wall Street were stocks of travel-related companies, which slumped under the weight of worries about higher fuel costs. Southwest Airlines sank 2% and Norwegian Cruise Line fell 3.1%.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude slipped 7 cents to $89.61 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 14 cents to $93.15 a barrel. On Wall Street, Exxon Mobil rose 1.1% and ConocoPhillips gained 1.6%. Oil prices have leaped sharply since the early summer.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 148.93 Japanese yen from 148.84 yen. The euro cost $1.0586, down from $1.0594.

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Business

Chinese firm aims to expand investments in Pakistan, shows interest in mining sector

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2024

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Chinese firm aims to expand investments in Pakistan, shows interest in mining sector

A notable Chinese company has expressed keen interest in expanding its investment in Pakistan, in yet another sign of investor confidence boost in the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

A delegation from Chinese firm MCC Tongsin Resources led by its Chairman Wang Jaichen called on PM Shehbaz here on Friday.

The premier invited the Chinese company to invest in Pakistan’s mining sector and manufacturing of export goods.

Shehbaz assured the delegation that his government would extend all-out facilitation to the company from minerals exploration and processing to the export of goods.

The PM instructed the relevant federal ministers and officers to continue consultation with the Chinese firm, taking the Balochistan chief minister, provincial departments and stakeholders on board.

The delegates reposed trust in PM Shehbaz’s leadership, and expressed keen interest in enhancing their investment in Pakistan’s mining and minerals sectors.

The delegation briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz about the construction of a mineral park in Pakistan and their future investment plans.

The premier welcomed the Chinese firm and highlighted the priority steps by his government to promote foreign investment in Pakistan.

He said that being a time-tested friend, China supported Pakistan in every difficult hour for which the Pakistani nation was grateful to the leadership and people of China.

Federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Dr Musaddik Malik, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Jam Kamal Khan and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.

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Business

Govt jacks up power price by Rs1.47 per unit

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2024

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Govt jacks up power price by Rs1.47 per unit

The government on Friday increased the electricity tariff by Rs1.47 per unit.

According to Nepra sources, the collection from consumers will take place in August, September, and October.

The electricity companies had requested the funds as part of the third quarter adjustment for 2023-2024, seeking Rs 31.34 billion under capacity charges.

Sources said that Rs5.57 billion were requested for operation and maintenance costs, and Rs12.38 billion were requested for the transmission and distribution impact under monthly fuel cost adjustment.

Previously, Nepra had completed the hearing on the electricity companies’ request under the quarterly adjustment.

Nepra approved the Power Division’s request, allowing an increase of Rs 1.45 per unit in electricity prices.

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Business

Hong Kong allows China’s digital yuan to be used in local shops

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2024

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Hong Kong allows China's digital yuan to be used in local shops

Hong Kong will allow mainland China’s pilot digital currency to be used in shops in the city, the head of its de facto central bank said on Friday, marking a step forward for Beijing’s efforts to internationalise the yuan amid rising geopolitical tensions.

The programme, backed by Beijing, will allow mainland Chinese and Hong Kong residents to open digital yuan wallets via a mobile app developed by China’s central bank and will permit them to make payments in retail shops and some online stores in Hong Kong and in mainland China.

Transactions using e-CNY, predominantly for domestic retail payments in China, hit 1.8 trillion yuan ($249.27 billion) as of end of June 2023, with 120 million digital wallets opened, according to the latest disclosure from China’s central bank.

Using the wallet, users can make payments at over 10 million merchants in 17 provinces and cities in the mainland.

Each wallet used in the city will be subject to a balance limit of 10,000 yuan, with single transactions and daily payments capped at 2,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan, respectively, officials from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said.

Peer-to-peer transfers will not be allowed at the moment, according to the HKMA.

“By expanding the e-CNY pilot in Hong Kong .. users may now top up their wallets anytime, anywhere without having to open a mainland bank account, thereby facilitating merchant payments in the mainland by Hong Kong residents,” HKMA Chief Eddie Yue said.

Currently, users of other digital yuan wallets such as those operated by Ant Group and Tencent can make payments in the city.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China Ltd, China Construction Bank Corp and Bank of Communications Co have been selected as e-CNY wallet operators.

The yuan’s use in global finance remains low, though it has shown steady increases.

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