Thai bond market association

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. (File photo) Dear Reader , A day before the monetary policy announcement, the yield on the 10-year bond fell sharply on a media report that the MPC would signal a pause after Friday’s hike. Thankfully, the MPC held firm, refusing to oblige the bond markets. Not only did it increase the repo rate by 50 basis points, but also the MPC signalled more rate hikes in future by refusing to tone down its ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ stance. Much is being made of the fact that the policy rate is now at the pre-pandemic level. At 5.4 percent, the repo rate is now back to where it was in September 2019. But that is n​o big deal. GDP growth was a measly 3.7 percent in 2019-20 compared to RBI’s projection of 7.2 percent in 2022-23; retail inflation was a much lower 4.8 percent in 2019-20, compared to a projected 6.7 percent for 2022-23; the current account deficit was a comfortable 0.9 percent of GDP in 2019-20 as against projections of around 3 percent … [Read more...] about Moneycontrol Pro Weekender | Shaktikanta Das refuses to pivot

Representative image Shares slipped and the dollar hung off recent highs on Tuesday as investors eyed U.S. inflation data due a day later that will likely yield clues to any further aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes. The stakes are high for the July U.S. consumer prices report on Wednesday after an unexpectedly strong U.S. jobs data last week boosted expectations of a sharp interest rate increase to tackle soaring inflation. The broader Euro STOXX 600 fell 0.6%, after logging its best session in nearly two weeks on Monday, with German stocks down 0.7%. Miners and autos, among top gainers a day earlier, led declines on Tuesday. Wall Street futures pointed to slim gains. "The focus is on tomorrow's U.S. inflation numbers and whether or not they are likely to show any indication of a softening of inflationary pressures," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. Close "Are we near the peak, and will tomorrow's CPI numbers reflect that?" … [Read more...] about Stocks stumble as caution reigns ahead of U.S. inflation data

If you're serious about bringing your ideas for products to market, you should absolutely attend trade shows. They're always eye-opening. The only way to truly understand the mechanics of any industry is by attending its trade shows. One guarantee? You'll be overwhelmed. I've attended all kinds of shows over the course of my career as a product developer , including toys, back-to-school, pet, housewares, hardware, electronic, promotional, music, and more. Checking out the latest innovations and making new friends at a trade show never fails to inspire me. But I've also wasted a lot of time attending the wrong shows and not having clearly defined goals. When you're starting out, it's especially important that you make good decisions. Your resources are limited! Preparation is key. At trade shows, I meet inventors who have spent years and tens of thousands of dollars getting ready to show their product to the world. They've paid for a booth and now today's the big … [Read more...] about What Inventors Need to Know About Trade Shows

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Latin America is going bad – very bad. Many of the region's large economies have lurched toward leftist populism in recent years. With the election of former guerrilla leader Gustavo Petro to the presidency, Colombia seems to be another victim of the trend. But for such leftists, the big prize is still to be captured: Brazil. With almost half of South America's economy and population and bordering ten countries, what happens in Brazil is always relevant for the Americas and the world. The country's upcoming presidential election is a case in point. The two leading candidates, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro, both have plenty of detractors. Local and foreign media cover their campaigns and road to the election. There is seldom coverage of those who work outside the political party system to try to influence Brazil's future. I want to highlight some of them here. I will only focus on non-religious organizations … [Read more...] about Promoting The Free Economy In Brazil

- A + A (Aug 9): China’s top auditor is conducting a review of the US$3 trillion trust industry, paving the way for a potential overhaul of a key shadow banking sector where losses on property loans are mounting. In an unscheduled move, the National Audit Office — which previously led an examination of bank exposures to Jack Ma’s Ant Group Co — has for the past month been inspecting the books of at least 20 trust firms, including the top five, to gauge the risks they pose to financial stability, according to people familiar with the matter. The firms are being asked to report on their risky loans to developers and any plans to dispose of them, the people said, asking not to be named as they’re not authorised to speak publicly. The audit office is expected to submit its conclusions to policy makers in Beijing, who may decide on the future reforms of the sector, the people said. While it is unclear what regulatory action the scrutiny will spur, the move illustrates … [Read more...] about China orders surprise audit of US$3 trillion trust industry

Representative image The Reserve Bank of India announced measures to ease forex inflows. This explainer helps us understand the measures and objectives behind them. What are forex inflows and why are they needed? One of the major factors of a country’s growth is higher savings. Savings are channelised into investments, which help drive the growth of an economy. If the domestic savings rate is low or the investment rate is higher than the savings rate, foreign exchange savings can be used to bridge the gap. Foreign exchange savings are nothing but net inflows of foreign capital. The Indian economy was liberalised in 1991 and efforts were made to attract forex inflows. There are various categories of forex such as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI), NRI deposits, and External Commercial Borrowings (ECB). The government and the Reserve Bank of India welcome equity flows such as FDI and FPI, but are cautious about debt inflows because heavy … [Read more...] about MC Explains | Will steps to liberalise forex inflows help the rupee?

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 9): The Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association (MPMA) call on the government to expeditiously ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to enable the plastics industry in Malaysia to reap the benefits of the agreement. President Datuk Lim Kok Boon said MPMA fully supports the ratification of the CPTPP, as manufacturers of plastic products are expected to gain from the elimination of tariffs, as well as gain new market access. “I anticipate that CPTPP will open market access to Canada, Mexico and Peru for plastics exporters. All three countries are net importers of plastic products. “The tariff for plastic products will be eliminated immediately from a maximum of 6.5% for Canada upon Malaysia’s ratification, while the 15% tariff for Mexico and 9% tariff for Peru will be reduced gradually over a period of 10 years,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 9). He said demand for plastic … [Read more...] about MPMA calls on govt to expedite the ratification of CPTPP

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said it will launch the probe into the three markets — Google Play, App Store and ONE store — on Aug. 16, following provisional inspections of the stores since May 17 over potential violations of the country's revised Telecommunications Business Act. The KCC determined that the companies were potentially in violation of the law by enforcing certain in-app payment methods and refusing developers who use external payment methods to register and renew their apps on their markets. ONE store is a homegrown app market company controlled by SK Group. Google recently required all app developers selling digital goods and services on Google Play store to use its billing system and to remove external payment links, prompting many Korean companies to raise charges for paid content services sold on Google's store. Google's move has prompted the Korea Publishers Association to file a complaint with the KCC, accusing the U.S. tech giant of violating … [Read more...] about Regulator to probe Google, Apple, ONE store over alleged in-app billing irregularities

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin It hides in plain sight in a Seattle neighborhood. A building that would not attract even a hint of curiosity. Inside it’s a bit of a different story as this seemingly bare-bones structure serves as the fulfillment center for Blue Nile , the world’s largest Internet retailer of diamond jewelry. It’s easy to view Blue Nile solely as an early eCommerce success story but perhaps its greatest feat is the ability to produce and ship jewels in a highly efficient manner  based on the individual requirements of an online order. This efficiency is one of the ways it earns the trusts of customers making a highly emotional purchase. The nondescript nature of the facility is due to security concerns. The merchandise is highly valuable, consisting of diamonds, colored gems and precious metals. Inside, multiple doors are used to enter and leave certain areas for security purposes. Workers were not identified in the story for the same … [Read more...] about How Blue Nile Delivered A Million Pieces Of Bridal Jewelry

Indonesia coal benchmark price COAL-HBA-ID has stayed above US$70 per tonne level since January 2021 but surged to a record US$321.59 per tonne this month, as the war in Ukraine exacerbated the energy supply crunch. - A + A JAKARTA (Aug 9): Indonesian legislators on Tuesday pressed the government to tighten rules on domestic coal sales, amid concern that miners will choose to pay fines instead of meeting a requirement to sell a quarter of their output to local power generators. The parliamentary energy committee met during recess on Tuesday, fearing the world's biggest thermal coal exporter was headed for a repeat of a domestic supply crisis late last year that saw exports banned for a few weeks in January, triggering panic among foreign buyers. Indonesia imposes a so-called Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) where miners must sell 25% of their output onshore, at prices capped at US$70 per tonne for power generators and US$90 per tonne for local industry. Though … [Read more...] about Indonesia lawmakers call for tougher rules to avert another coal crisis