Markets

Beijing-based Ping An Insurance Group intends to strengthen its capital position and fund growth in health care and the aged care sector. 
Finance

Ping An Insurance to raise $3.5bn in bond deal, document shows

Convertible bonds increasingly popular with Chinese companies for funding

15 July 2024
Beijing's Central Business District. China is aiming for GDP growth of "around 5%" this year.
Economy

China GDP growth slows to 4.7% in Q2, missing forecasts

Result raises stakes for third plenum as property woes, weak demand 'hit brakes'

15 July 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2024. Communist Party leaders gather this week for another closely watched meeting, known as the third plenum.
Politics

China's third plenum kicks off as GDP disappoints: 5 things to know

All eyes on how Communist Party plans to steer economy through headwinds

15 July 2024
Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, sold only four residential land lots in the first half of 2024.
Caixin

China land sales tumbled by more than a third in first half of 2024

Loss of land auction revenue leaves provinces reliant on government transfer payments

15 July 2024
A lack of homegrown tech giants has contributed to Japan's "digital deficit": It imports far more digital services than it exports to the rest of the world.
Market Spotlight

Japan's love of Amazon Prime, YouTube Premium piles pressure on yen

'Digital deficit' drags down the country's trade balance

15 July 2024
One of the world's smallest nations, Palau lacks the resources to build a massive financial system from scratch.
Finance

Japan fintech tapped to build Palau's first bond issuance platform

Pacific island nation turns to co-developer of Cambodia's Bakong digital currency

14 July 2024
The yen's spike against the dollar in recent days suggests one or two interventions by Japanese authorities, market watchers say.
Currencies

Yen's wild ride reflects Japan wage growth anxiety

Weak currency threatens to leave workers feeling no better off

14 July 2024
Beijing's Central Business District. A UBS forecast of the increase in China's millionaires is down sharply from past projections.
Wealth Management

China trails in millionaire growth forecast as Russia keeps steady pace

Taiwan expected to see quickest expansion of rich set by 2028

13 July 2024
The yen's latest gains came after data showed that U.S. producer prices increased moderately in June. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
Currencies

Yen hits 4-week high as intervention questions circulate

Move sparks speculation that Japanese officials propped up currency for 2nd day

13 July 2024
LNG is in high demand among countries like the U.S. and Japan, despite its price doubling from the average over the past five years.
Energy

IEA aims to stabilize LNG prices with information-sharing plan

Agency eyes greater transparency as Ukraine war adds to market volatility

13 July 2024
Japan's Ministry of Finance neither confirmed or denied foreign exchange market intervention on July 12. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Currencies

BOJ data hints at possible $22bn intervention on yen Thursday

Sharp rally in Japanese currency takes market players by surprise

12 July 2024
The Cirrus Aircraft booth at an aviation exhibition in Las Vegas in 2021. The company was founded in the U.S. in 1979 and acquired by a Chinese state group in 2011.
IPO

U.S.-based Chinese state-owned aircraft maker Cirrus lists in Hong Kong

Company operates under watchful U.S. eyes since 2011 purchase by CAIGA

12 July 2024
Japanese currency officials have declined to comment on whether they intervened to prop up the weak yen. (Photo by Yuji Murakami)
Currencies

Yen's volatility sparks intervention suspicion after U.S. CPI data

Nikkei average falls more than 1,000 points, partly due to Japanese currency's surge

12 July 2024
The forex move was likely triggered by options-related activity following the consumer price report.
Currencies

Dollar drops, yen surges as U.S. consumer prices fall in June

Japanese currency's gains spark speculation of possible forex intervention

12 July 2024
The plunge in Saizeriya's shares after the company said it would end meal coupons highlights how shareholder perks are a big attraction for individual investors. (Photo by Mako Ochiai) 
Markets

Japan's Saizeriya earns shareholder ire by abolishing meal perks

Stock price plunges after restaurant operator decides to raise dividends instead

12 July 2024
CK Hutchison is reviewing options for its European telecom unit, intending to reduce its holding in the overall business, sources tell Reuters.
IPO

Hong Kong's CK Infrastructure weighs overseas secondary listing

Plan is being considered more for Western exposure than to raise funds

11 July 2024
BHP's global headquarters in Melbourne. (AFP/Jiji)
Commodities

BHP to suspend Australia nickel operations amid Indonesia-fed glut

Miner cites oversupply of the key EV material for the move

11 July 2024
Malaysia's central bank held its key policy interest rate steady on July 11, point to the potential for higher inflation due to changes in subsidies and price controls in the country. 
Economy

Malaysia central bank holds key rate steady on inflation risks

Monetary authorities cite likely price rises after change to diesel subsidies

11 July 2024
Shift Up is South Korea's fourth-largest game developer, having a lineup of Nikke: Goddess of Victory and Stellar Blade. (Screenshot of Shift Up website)
IPO

Tencent-backed video game developer Shift Up closes up 18% in Seoul debut

South Korean company marks country's second-biggest IPO this year

11 July 2024
Japanese shares have been on a roll in recent months, firing up interest from overseas investors. (Photo by Jo Miyaguchi)
11 July 2024
The Bank of Japan's next policy meeting starts on July 30. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki)
Bonds

Japan rate rise speculation grows as overseas investors await BOJ

Weak yen seen forcing central bank's hand on early hike

11 July 2024
China accounts for 20% of global demand for palladium.
Commodities

China eyes its first platinum and palladium futures

Guangzhou exchange to list contracts for both ingots and industrial use sponge

11 July 2024
Excess Chinese steel production has led to an surge in imports across several Latin American countries.
Trade

U.S. and Mexico clamp down on Chinese steel imports

Brazil and other Latin American countries raise trade barriers amid influx

11 July 2024
A view of the construction site of a residential project developed by Vanke in Nanjing
China debt crunch

China Vanke 'deeply apologizes' for $1bn loss

Moody's withdraws Country Garden's rating due to 'insufficient information'

10 July 2024
Brine pools at an SQM lithium mine in northern Chile. China's Tianqi Lithium, a major stakeholder in SQM, is feeling the effects of the lithium price downturn.
Companies

Chinese lithium majors sink into red despite EV growth

Tianqi and Ganfeng warn of substantial losses in first half due to falling prices

10 July 2024