Australian Shares Continue To Provide Best Net Returns Over 20 Years, Says Russell Investments/ASX Report
2011 Russell Investments/ASX Long-Term Investing Report encourages
investors to consider investment returns on an after-tax basis and stick with a long-term strategy
June 30, 2011--Australian shares have outperformed residential
investment property to take the mantle of best performing asset class over a 20 year period, according to this year’s Russell Investments/ASX Long-Term Investing
Report.
The 13th edition of the annual report, commissioned by the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and prepared by Russell Consulting has found growth assets including Australian shares and residential property continue to deliver superior returns to more conservative asset classes such as cash and fixed income, over the
10, 20 and 25-year periods to 31 December 2010.
view the The Russell Investments/ASX Long Term Investing Report
Source: ASX Group
Fears rise of bond defaults by Chinese groups
June 29, 2011--Having lent an unprecedented $33bn to Chinese companies over the past two years, international bond investors are increasingly contemplating their worst nightmare: the prospect of default.
Like their peers in the equity market, bond investors have been unsettled as a growing number of Chinese companies listed on international stock markets have been accused of fraud.
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Source: FT.com
Cabinet updates securities regulations
June 28, 2011--Cabinet has agreed to update the Securities Regulations 2009, Commerce Minister Simon Power announced today.
The updated regulations, which come into force on Friday, replace the current text about financial advice required to be included in investment statements. This will align it with the Financial Advisers Act 2008, which comes fully into force on the same day.
“The regulations do not require immediate revision of investment statements already in use or those currently being prepared,” Mr Power said.
“The old requirements will continue to apply to investment statements dated earlier than 1 August 2011. Issuers can, however, choose to comply with the new requirements from 1 July.”
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Source: New Zealand Government
China’s emerging municipal mess
June 28, 2011--It has been clear for some time that China’s municipalities ran up big debts during the country’s heroic post-crisis stimulus in 2009. But only now are the full consequences of this binge emerging.
It is not pretty. According to the country’s first audit of local government finances, municipalities have run up debts of Rmb10,700bn ($1,656bn), equivalent to about 30 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. The quality of many of these loans is thought to be poor. Collectively they threaten an upsurge of non-performing loans in the banking system.
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Source: FT.com
The Real Exchange Rate and Employment in China -IMF Working Paper
June 27, 2011--Summary: We examine the impact of real exchange rate fluctuations on sectoral and regional employment in China from 1980 to 2008. In contrast to theoretical predictions, employment in both the tradable and non-tradable sectors contracts following a real appreciation.
Our results are robust across different sub-samples, levels of sectoral disaggregation, and are more pronounced for regions with higher export exposure. We attribute our findings to the importance of services as intermediate input in exportable production. We test this channel of exchange rate transmission using regional input-output tables linked with employment data at the region-sector level. The results of this paper have important implications for China’s labor market adjustment should the Chinese RMB strengthen in the future. To mitigate the costs of short-run labor market adjustment, appropriate demand management and structural reforms in the non-traded sectors should play an important role.
View the The Real Exchange Rate and Employment in China-IMF Working paper
Source: IMF
SGX: Banks To Provide Market Making And Brokers To Support Trading Of Singapore Government Bonds
June 27, 2011--Singapore Exchange (SGX) said individual investors can expect transparency in price discovery and competitive trading costs of Singapore government bonds (SGS bonds) when they start trading on SGX from 8 July 2011.
SGX said market makers will be available to increase liquidity and make it easier for individual investors to buy and sell SGS bonds. The liquidity providers include seven out of 13 Singapore Government Securities (SGS) Primary Dealers, which have committed to provide two-way prices for the 19 SGS bonds traded on SGX. These are DBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, OCBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and United Overseas Bank Limited.
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Source: WFE
HK to set daily renminbi rate against dollar
June 23, 2011--Hong Kong will start setting a daily benchmark price for the renminbi against the dollar next week, giving a big boost to the fast-growing offshore market in the Chinese currency.
Market participants have been pushing for a daily fixing rate for the renminbi since last summer when the Chinese currency became freely tradable in Hong Kong following landmark reforms.
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Source: FT.com
DB - Equity Research - Asia Pacific ETF Weekly Review:ETP AUM declines while turnover increases
June 20, 2011--Market Review
All the markets in Asia-Pacific region were down last week due to the concerns over faltering U.S. economic growth and Greece’s worsening sovereign debt crisis. From north to south, Japan (Nikkei 225) slid 1.71%, Korea (KOSPI2) declined by 1.05%, China (CSI 300) retreated by 2.36%, Hong Kong (HSI) dropped by 3.23%, Singapore (FSSTI) sank by 2.37% and Australia (S&P/ASX 200) slipped by 1.69%.
Last week, Indian ETP provider Religare Mutual Fund launched an ETF on National Stock Exchange (India) tracking S&P CNX Nifty Index. In the Asia-Pacific region, gradually more and more number of asset management companies are entering into the ETP market as well as increasing their product range.
Turnover Review: Activity soars in Korea
As of the end of last Friday, Asia-Pacific ETP turnover was again back to the $5bn mark after the shorter trading week when total turnover only reached $3.9bn. Korea Stock Exchange witnessed a sharp increase in trading activity with record $1.4bn turnover, followed by Hong Kong ($1.3bn), China ($871m) and Japan ($864m). Significant week-over-week turnover rise were experienced among Emerging Country ETPs ($474m or 30.8%), Leveraged Strategy ETPs ($312m or 74.7%), Asia Pac Developed ETPs ($198m or 16.3%) and Short Strategy ETPs ($160m or 78.6%).
Assets Under Management Review: AUM end lower amid bearish market
Asia-Pacific ETP AUM finally moved last week after almost two months of stickiness. ETP assets could not sustain the $87bn level anymore due to the continuous declining markets in the region and slipped to $85.6bn at the end of last week. However, it was $1.4bn or 1.7% above last year’s closing.
to request report
Source: Deutsche Bank - Equity Research - Asia
Chi-X okay to use ASX clearing system
Chi-X has signed a five-year deal with ASX to use its clearing and settlement service.
June 20, 2011--ASX Group, the company that operates the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), has approved an application by Chi-X Australia to use its clearing and settlement service, the trade acceptance service (TAS).
Chi-X has signed up for a five-year term, which means the company has to pay $10,000 as an initial application fee plus $275,000 a year in service fees.
Chi-X, which is set to become the first competitor of ASX Group later this year, is required to have clearing and settlement arrangements in place that are approved by the Financial Services and Superannuation Minister before it can begin operating alternative trade execution venues.
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Source: Investor Daily
SGX improves product disclosure for structured warrants, debentures and funds
June 20, 2011--Singapore Exchange (“SGX”) introduces new product disclosure templates to enhance the readability of term sheets for structured warrants, debentures and funds. SGX is of the view that consistent presentation of product features and risks will facilitate clear and efficient comparison of competing product offerings by market participants.
These disclosure templates will apply to the term sheets for:
1.Debentures in the form of asset-backed securities, exchange traded notes and structured notes
[Practice Note 3.1];
2.Funds (including collective investment schemes and exchange traded funds) [Practice Note 3.1]; and 3.Structured warrants [Practice Note 5.1].
Issuers are required to apply the guidelines and term sheet formats with effect from 1 August 2011.
With these two practice notes, issuers making an offer that is not accompanied by a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)-registered prospectus are now able to make clearer disclosure of product features and risks in standardised formats. The changes to the listing manual are in line with MAS’ initiative to improve disclosure with the use of product highlight sheets.
The practice notes can be accessed at www.sgx.com under SGX Rulebooks – Rule Amendments.
Source: SGX
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