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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

ASIA: China’s central bank carried out 2-billion-yuan (about $289 million) worth of reverse repos on Wednesday to maintain liquidity in the banking system. The interest rate for the seven-day reverse repo was set at 2 percent, according to the People’s Bank of China. The aim of this step is to maintain stable liquidity in the […]

Yet another head of the financial system is coming out and warning that a recession is inevitable. Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing echoed the words of BoE’s Governor Andrew Bailey and blamed the coming recession on the war in Ukraine. “We will no longer be able to avert a recession in Germany. Yet we believe […]

ASIA: US Trade Representative Katherine Tai suggested on Wednesday that punitive tariffs on Chinese imports will not drop until Beijing adopts more market-oriented trade and economic principles. Speaking at a discussion organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Tai elaborated on US President Joe Biden’s economic strategy with regard to China, characterizing it as […]

ASIA: The southwestern Chinese capital of Chengdu announced a lockdown of its 21.2 million residents as it began four days of citywide testing for COVID-19 as some of the country’s most populous and economically important cities battle outbreaks. Residents of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, were ordered to stay at home from 6 p.m. […]

ASIA: India’s economy grew 13.5% from a year ago in the April-June quarter, its fastest annual pace in a year, data released on Wednesday showed, though it is seen losing momentum in coming quarters as higher interest rates cool economic activity. June quarter growth, driven by manufacturing and services, such as accommodation and travel, rebounding […]

ASIA: Singapore’s key measure of consumer prices rose again at the fastest pace in more than 13 years in July, official data showed on Tuesday, increasing pressure on the central bank to consider further policy tightening later this year. The acceleration in inflation was mainly due to stronger growth in food, electricity, and gas prices, […]

ASIA: Profits at China’s industrial firms sank in July, reversing previous gains as fresh COVID-19 curbs dragged down demand and squeezed factory margins, while power shortages due to heatwaves threatened production. Profits at China’s industrial firms fell 1.1% in January-July from a year earlier, wiping out the 1.0% growth logged during the first six months, […]