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China's renminbi is headed for its biggest ever monthly drop-and economists warn other currencies will suffer
August 30, 2019--China's yuan (also called the renminbi) is headed for it's biggest monthly drop on record.
A lower-valued currency makes Chinese goods cheaper to export.
It's a battleground issue in the trade spat between the US and China.
Economists are now warning that the currency may go down even more, and the risk of contagion to emerging markets is rising. Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey's currencies could all be at risk.
India to merge state banks amid concern over economic slowdown
August 30, 2019--India plans to merge a number of state banks as the government looks for fresh ways to battle a grinding economic slowdown. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that the government would merge 10 existing banks into four entities.
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China's Potential New Trade Weapon: Corporate Social Credits
August 27, 2019--Program will reward or punish companies for their behavior, but foreigners worry Beijing will use it to impose political orthodoxy on international firms
After five years, China is putting the finishing touches on a sweeping new system to punish and reward companies for their corporate behavior. But foreigners worry that, amid the continuing U.S.-China trade dispute, Beijing will use its new corporate "social credit" system as a weapon against international businesses.
IMF Staff Country Report-People's Republic of China: Selected Issues
August 23, 2019--THE DRIVERS, IMPLICATIONS AND OUTLOOK FOR CHINA'S SHRINKING CURRENT ACCOUNT SURPLUS1
China's current account surplus has declined significantly from its peak in 2008 and the external position is
now in line with medium-term fundamentals and desirable policies.
While cyclical factors helped in 2018, the trend decline has been largely structural, driven by rebalancing, appreciation of the REER towards
equilibrium, increase in outbound tourism, and moderation in goods surplus reflecting market saturation and China's faster growth compared with trading partners. Policies should focus on continued rebalancing and opening up to ensure excessive surpluses do not return; and to prepare the economy and the financial system to handle more volatile capital flows.
view the IMF Staff Country Report-People's Republic of China: Selected Issues
Investors pull $2.9bn from funds investing in China
August 20, 2019--Outflows rise amid concerns about Chinese economic growth and trade war with US
Investors pulled $2.9bn from funds that invest in China's stock market in the month ending last Wednesday, as concerns over economic growth and tariffs weighed on Chinese shares.
The outflows from mutual funds and exchange traded funds that invest in China's A-shares market were the sharpest since the start of 2017.
Japan surpasses China as largest foreign holder of US Treasurys
August 15, 2019--Japan surpassed China as the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasurys in June.
Japan has $1.12 trillion Treasury securities, and China, $1.11 trillion.
Japan surpassed China as the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury securities in June.
Japan has added about $21 billion since May, making its holdings the largest since October, 2016. Japan now holds $1.12 trillion Treasurys, and China has $1.11 trillion, a $2 billion increase from the month earlier, according to U.S. Treasury department data.
Renminbi drop helps push Chinese into bitcoin, say traders
August 14, 2019--Trading volumes rise sharply after the People's Bank of China allows currency to drop.
A recent run-up in the price of bitcoin has been attributed to many factors: aggressive monetary easing by central banks, plans by Facebook to develop its own digital tokens, and market manipulation via Tether, another crypto asset.
Singapore cuts growth outlook as trade war bites
August 13, 2019--Singapore further cut its annual growth forecast on Tuesday as the escalating US-China trade war hammers exports, in another ominous sign for Asia's trade-reliant economies.
The government said it expected growth of 0.0-1.0 percent this year, sharply down from the 1.5-2.5 percent previously estimated, marking the second downward revision this year. The economy expanded 3.2 percent in 2018.
New Zealand just became the first country to legalize salary payments in cryptocurrencies (BTC)
August 13, 2019--August 13, 2019--New Zealand will legally allow companies to pay salaries in cryptocurrency starting September 1, becoming the first nation to do so, according to a Financial Times report.
The country requires the preferred cryptocurrency to be pegged to a standard currency and directly convertible into a normal form of payment. This stipulation allows bitcoin to replace the New Zealand dollar on workers' paychecks.
Companies paying workers in cryptocurrency can deduct income tax through the country's pay-as-you-earn plan.
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New Zealand has become the first country to legalize cryptocurrency salaries, according to a report Monday from the Financial Times.
China's central bank digital currency is "ready" after 5 years of development
August 10, 2019--A senior official at China's central bank announced at the China Finance 40 Group meeting today that the country will soon roll out its central bank digital currency (CBDC.)
Mu Changchun, Deputy Chief in the Payment and Settlement Division of the People's Bank of China (PBOC,) stated that the CBDC prototype exists and the PBOC's Digital Money Research Group has already fully adopted the blockchain architecture for the currency.
China's CBDC will not rely entirely on a pure blockchain architecture, as this would not allow the currency to achieve the throughput required for retail usage.
