From price inflation and Brexit rows to Evergrande and Biden v Putin: Here are the market risks to watch this year The world in 2022 The world is a pretty turbulent and unpredictable place at the moment, with Covid variants not making life easier. From tensions between Russia and the US over Ukraine’s NATO membership to Brexit conflicts and China’s Evergrande property scandal, 2022 is set to become everything but dull. So what developments and issues could disrupt or disturb [...]
Early orders and Singles Day boost: Both Chinese exports and imports pick up steam Chinese economy European equity markets got off to a solid start to the new week yesterday as investors looked past the negativity of last week and chose to focus on the expectation that the Omicron variant, while more transmissible, may well not be as virulent as the Delta variant that is wreaking havoc across Europe. “Indications so [...]
China mulls cybersecurity review for companies seeking Hong Kong IPO China regulation China has ramped up its oversight of mainland companies holding data that seek a listing in Hong Kong with a proposed new law mandating a cybersecurity review. Under the the new draft regulation, published by China’s cyberspace regulator today, officials would impose a cybersecurity review on such companies if a listing is deemed to have [...]
China exports surge despite port disruptions at regional lockdowns November 8, 2021 Asia markets have got the week off to a quiet start this week, with the latest China trade data for October giving a mixed insight into the world’s second biggest economy. The last couple of months have proved to be “fairly resilient” ones for China trade, despite disruption at Chinese ports, and the various lockdown restrictions [...]
‘No Sino-phobes’: UK will not ‘pitchfork’ business from China despite Hong Kong and human rights October 19, 2021 Boris Johnson has told the Chinese business community the UK has no intention to “pitchfork away” investment from China despite ongoing differences with Beijing over human rights and Hong Kong. Ahead of the Global Investment Summit in London, later today, the Prime Minister said China would continue to play a “gigantic part” in UK economic [...]
Debt payment by Evergrande eases market jitters over messy default September 22, 2021 Evergrande said today it will make a payment due on a domestic bond, easing jitters over a messy default, for a little while at least. Watch the full report.
Unease about economic outlook grows as rising prices fuel stagflation concerns September 20, 2021 The last few weeks has seen equity markets struggle to make gains of any significant size, and all the while concerns have been rising about a number of different factors. The lack of a clear narrative, whether it be positive or negative, has seen markets churn in both directions since July, with any number of [...]
Chinese ambassador to the UK banned from parliament September 14, 2021 Zheng Zeguang, China’s ambassador to the UK, has been barred from British parliament after protests were sparked by MPs and peers still under sanctions by China. Zeguang had been invited by Richard Graham, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary China Group, to attend a Commons reception on Wednesday. But Sir Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the [...]
Aquascutum and Gieves & Hawkes face being dragged down by Chinese parent’s debt struggles September 8, 2021 Struggles in China are pushing some of the most established British fashion brands into a dicey position, with Gieves & Hawkes facing a winding-up order and Aquascutum pulling out of the UK entirely. Chinese outfit Shandong Ruyi, which owns the two firms, has come under increasing pressure over its staggering $4 billion debt following an [...]
‘Tragic mistake’: George Soros slams BlackRock’s investment in Xi’s China, again September 7, 2021 George Soros has condemned BlackRock’s wealth management move into China as a “tragic mistake” that will risk losing clients’ money and damage US security, in his latest attack on investment in the world’s second-biggest economy. “Pouring billions of dollars into China now is a tragic mistake,” the billionaire investor wrote in a Wall Street Journal [...]