Bitcoin has had an impressive start to the new year, climbing more than 26% and surprising those who expected riskier investments to face more challenges following sharp selloffs in 2022. This is the best opening month performance for the token since a 31% rally in 2020, before the pandemic hit. This surge has helped to … Read more
ASIA: Singapore is now the seventh most innovative economy in the world, up one spot from its ranking in 2021. The rankings are in accordance with the Global Innovation Index 2022, a report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo) and non-profit research firm Portulans Institute on Thursday. The report ranks 132 economies according … Read more
ASIA: To stabilize China’s foreign exchange market and support the value of the yuan, the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBC), announced that it will raise the foreign exchange (FX) risk ratio for foreign exchange forward trading from 0 to 20 percent, effective Wednesday. It will increase the cost of foreign exchange … Read more
ASIA: The Philippines will stop operations of 175 offshore gambling firms and deport about 40,000 Chinese workers, a justice ministry official said on Monday, part of a crackdown on the notoriously opaque online gaming industry. The sector emerged in the Philippines in 2016 and grew exponentially as operators capitalized on the country’s liberal gaming laws … Read more
ASIA: The Reserve Bank of India is set to raise interest rates again next week with a slim majority of economists in a Reuters poll expecting a half-point hike and some others expecting a smaller 35 basis point rise. The RBI has lagged many of its global peers, despite inflation sticking above the top end … Read more
ASIA: Taiwan will never allow China to “meddle” in its future, the government said on Wednesday, after a Chinese government spokesperson said Beijing was willing to make the utmost effort to strive for a peaceful “reunification” with the island. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims. China … Read more
ASIA: China left its benchmark interest rates unchanged at a one-month peg on Tuesday, as expected, as authorities appeared to delay immediate monetary easing after the local currency fell sharply and central banks tightened policy elsewhere. The one-year prime rate (LPR) was left at 3.65%, while the five-year LPR remained unchanged at 4.30%. The stable … Read more
ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 closed Shanghai decreased 10.80 points or -0.35% to 3,115.60 Hang Seng decreased 195.72 points or -1.04% to 18.565.97 Kospi decreased 27.12 points or -1.14% to 2,355.66 ASX 200 decreased 19.20 points or -0.28% to 6,719.90 SENSEX increased 300.44 points or 0.51% to … Read more
ASIA: China’s biggest banks cut their key deposit rates across the board for the first time since 2015, a move to help boost lending to support growth in the world’s second-largest economy. Seven major banks, including Bank of China Ltd., Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., Bank of Communications Co. and Agricultural Bank of … Read more
ASIA: India’s merchandise trade deficit in August widened to $27.98 billion from $11.71 billion a year earlier, revised data released by the government showed on Wednesday. India’s merchandise exports rose to $33.92 billion from $33.38 billion Japan ran its largest trade deficit in a month on record in August as imports surged amid high energy … Read more
