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 […]

ASIA: India’s restrictions on rice exports have crippled trading in Asia, with buyers seeking alternative supplies from Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, where sellers are delaying deals as prices rise, industry officials said. India, the world’s top grain exporter, on Thursday banned shipments of broken rice and imposed a 20% tariff on exports of various other […]

ASIA: The Biden administration plans to expand restrictions on US shipments to China of semiconductors used in artificial intelligence and chip-making tools next month, Reuters reported. The Commerce Department intends to publish new regulations based on restrictions announced earlier this year in letters to three US companies – KLA Corp, Lam Research Corp and Applied […]

ASIA: GSMA estimates that between 2022 and 2025, operators in India will invest around ₹1.6 trillion in their networks, underpinning opportunities in the consumer and enterprise segments. Fifth generation technology, or 5G, could benefit the Indian economy by ₹36.4 trillion ($455 billion) between 2023 and 2040, or more than 0.6% of forecast GDP per year, […]

ASIA: Japan’s economy grew more than initially reported in the second quarter, as the lifting of local COVID-19 restrictions boosted consumer and business spending. Gross domestic product (GDP) in the world’s third-largest economy expanded an annualized 3.5% in the second quarter, stronger than the preliminary estimate of annualized 2.2% growth, government data showed Thursday. The […]

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: India’s dominant services industry grew faster than expected in August thanks to a solid expansion in demand and a continued easing in cost pressures, encouraging firms to hire at the quickest pace in more than 14 years, a private survey showed. Driven by strong growth in services and manufacturing activity, Asia’s third-largest economy expanded […]

ASIA: The Japanese Yen is trading at a fresh 24-year low against the US dollar as the short-term yield spread between the two countries continues to widen. Two-year Japanese bonds are currently trading with an 8bp negative yield, while the US two-year offers a meaty 3.51%, its highest level in 15 years. This gulf in […]