Free content
-
Elon Musk likes causing a stir on Twitter. Last year he announced his plans to avoid traffic in Los Angeles by digging large tunnels between his home and his office on the site. But the CEO might have dug an ever deeper hole for himself this week by tweeting that he was seeking to privatise Tesla at $420 a share with funding secured.
-
Surprising exactly no one, big beast exchange ICE has joined its peers and entered the cryptocurrency market in earnest. More than eight months after competitors Cboe and CME launched cash-settled bitcoin futures contracts, this month ICE revealed Bakkt, a “global platform and ecosystem for digital assets”.
-
The Treasurer of California, John Chiang, rebuked President Trump for climate change denial on Tuesday as he committed the state to developing a "green bonds strategy" to develop the market and accelerate its growth.
-
Market participants should not become complacent about the battles that are still taking place over the handling of the resolution of Banco Popular, because the outcome is likely to form the blueprint for what will happen when any large European bank fails in the future.
-
The European Investment Bank has reportedly agreed to discussions which could lead to it falling under the supervisory eye of the European Central Bank, following pressure from several European Union members. But this seems more like a political refusal to give something for nothing than a move likely to improve how the supranational operates.
-
HSBC’s new app for issuers, shortly to be rolled out across the bank’s primary markets divisions and downloaded by clients directly, is a welcome change for a market that’s seen limited technological progress. It’s a clear step forward, and likely to be copied widely. But this could be the very worst outcome for issuers.
-
Hong Kong has had its first taste of a pre-revenue biotechnology stock with the listing by Ascletis Pharma. Unfortunately, the company got caught up in a wave of volatility and the shares have not fared well. It was not a good start for biotech but the sector should not be judged by this one deal, as it was just the first from a bulging IPO pipeline.
-
The International Finance Corp drew one of the highest BondMarker scores of the year so far with its return to five year dollars after two years away. The trade came in a week of few, but very well received, deals, with the European Stability Mechanism scoring its highest average score of 2018 so far.
-
Green Italian bond supply has good scope to grow, and banks are likely to play a central role in the rise, according to Standard and Poor’s. Given the old age of Italy’s building stock and the importance of financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), green covered bonds and green European Secured Notes could play a vital part.
-
China’s central bank brings back reserve requirement for FX forwards to support the RMB, the securities watchdog welcomes the launch of two year government bond futures, and a top financial regulatory body says it wants more support for the real economy before China’s leaders meet in Beidaihe.
-
Trading volume for RMB futures contracts are up in Hong Kong and Dubai, activity on Bond Connect slows down in July after a strong uptick in the previous month, and the FX watchdog shuts the door on new inbound and outbound investment quotas.
-
The Ministry of Commerce (MofCom) relaxes restrictions on foreign investors buying A-shares, the People's Bank of China requires more details on the business operations of foreign service provider in the Mainland, and Chinese premier Li Keqiang confirms London Connect will launch this year.