FX
-
Senior bankers are turning up in court after storied capital markets careers
-
The US finally labelled China a currency manipulator this week, a day after the renminbi weakened to below the psychological level of seven against the dollar. With China clearly indicating its willingness to open a new front in the trade war, the stage is set for an increase in rhetoric between the two countries.
-
Welcome back to our Monday newsletter. In this round-up, Allianz gets approval for first wholly foreign-owned enterprise (Wfoe) in the insurance sector, foreign bond investors will receive tax exemptions, and PBoC Shanghai branch is lifting lending quotas to help small and private enterprises.
-
In this round-up, China’s foreign reserves in October decrease $34bn due to the stronger dollar, monthly exports climbed more than expected, Singapore Exchange signed cooperation agreements to develop more opportunities for Chinese enterprises in Singapore.
-
The US Treasury declined to name China a currency manipulator in its latest report this week, contrary to expectations. But the last minute save did not prevent the renminbi from moving closer to the line in the sand with an exchange rate of seven per dollar.
-
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.
-
The upcoming inclusion of onshore assets in global indices will drive massive inflows to the onshore capital markets, but will also have the side effect of downsizing the role of the offshore RMB (CNH) markets, according to Julien Martin, the head of FIC product development at the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing.
-
Discussions around the co-existence of two renminbi markets, one onshore and one offshore, are once again picking up pace, market participants told GlobalRMB. It will be up to China’s central bank to clean up the mess once and for all.
-
Chinese regulators are cracking down on foreign currency trading, going after brokers who have flouted restrictions by operating in a legal grey area. GlobalRMB investigates.
-
China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS) has added the central limit order book and executable streaming price features to the onshore interbank FX market — a move which helps close the gap in FX trading technology between China and the international markets.
-
China launches onshore trading for Thai baht, NPC chairman says Hong Kong remains important to China’s effort to promote the renminbi, and China Construction Bank opens a new branch in Auckland.
-
China agreed to $12.8bn of deals with the UK during the British prime minister’s state visit, RMB returns as the fifth most used global payments currency, and Aberdeen Asset Management grabs Rmb5.3bn ($842.8m) new renminbi qualified foreign institutional investor (RQFII) quotas.
-
Data releases by a number of monetary authorities show uneven turnover in RMB-denominated FX transactions around the globe.
-
China’s banking regulator prioritises deleveraging of financial institutions and individuals, the Chinese government tightens grip on overseas investment with new guidelines, and regulators encourage financing for the maritime industry in an effort to promote the Belt and Road Initiative.
-
China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS) insists that the counter-cyclical factor remains in place, the Chinese central bank introduces a new limit on cross-border financing for commercial banks, and China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) reportedly cracks down on risky private bond issuance.
-
Promoting RMB internationalisation is necessary for China to safeguard its national security, Anthony Leung, chairman and CEO of Nan Fung Group and former financial secretary of Hong Kong, told the Asian Financial Forum on January 16.
-
More central banks may add the Chinese currency to their FX reserves following Bundesbank’s indication to do so, Yifan Hu, regional chief investment officer and chief China economist at UBS, said at the Asian Financial Forum (AFF) on January 16.
-
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) has poured cold water over claims that China may stop buying US Treasury bonds. But there is a need for the country to diversify its debt portfolio in the long run if it is serious about promoting RMB internationalisation, economists told GlobalRMB.
-
The People’s Bank of China has reportedly tweaked the way it sets the daily renminbi fix against the dollar, abandoning a key control mechanism it introduced last May. While some analysts hail the move as a sign of confidence from China, others say it exposes the failure of the PBoC’s previous FX policy.
-
China has relaxed access to the onshore renminbi (CNY) foreign exchange market for overseas banks based in Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Thailand, all countries that fall under the Belt and Road initiative, GlobalRMB has learned.
-
Offshore renminbi liquidity could get a shot in the arm as Shanghai Clearing House (SHCH) joins hands with R5, a London-based FX platform, to create a link between the FX markets in the UK and China. The move is also set to widen Chinese banks’ access to global currencies.
-
China will not amend the RMB trading band in the near term, Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China, said on October 19. Zhou made the remarks shortly after the central bank defended its recent changes to the FX rate mechanism in a report.
-
The arrival of Typhoon Hato in Hong Kong on Wednesday suspended equity trading in the city, but the impact on the offshore RMB market was limited.
-
The People's Bank of China signalled it was not done tinkering with its FX policy framework on July 12, when it made a proposal to expand the RMB daily trading band. Analysts agree the move is a step forward, but add that it contradicts the PBoC's recent push for increased control of the currency.
-
Asset manager Pimco said the launch of Bond Connect addressed important concerns by foreign investors, but added that the outlook for the RMB remained somewhat bearish.
-
The offshore renminbi (CNH) reached its strongest point against the dollar since the start of the year on Thursday, despite China’s sovereign rating downgrade last week. Analysts say the sharp turn reflects Chinese regulators’ determination to keep the currency from falling ahead of renewed pressure from external factors.
-
There was little understanding among market watchers to news that the Chinese central bank is planning to introduce a counter-cyclical component to the calculation of the daily fix of the onshore RMB (CNY). Analysts say the move contradicts earlier statements from the PBoC about giving markets more say in the exchange rate.
-
A new formula to determine the daily renminbi fix could be a prelude to more exchange rate policy reform from China, said HSBC.
-
The RMB has remained stable in the currency markets so far this year, but the rest of 2017 may turn out to be more rocky depending on policy developments in the US, according to financial industry experts.
-
The friendly meeting between US president Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last week has ushered in warmer relations, with Trump stating on April 12 that the US Treasury will not label China a currency manipulator. Meanwhile, the two sides are working on a framework for greater market access to be delivered in just over three months.
-
The first meeting between new US president Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping starting Thursday could prove fateful for the bilateral relationship and China's renminbi, with the outlook remaining cloudy on what the US president's next moves might be.
-
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) launched USDCNH options on March 20, the first currency options to trade on the exchange. Together with HKEX’s USDCNH futures contract, the new product will give investors an alternative in managing renminbi exposure.
-
A foreign institutional investor completed its first hedging transaction in the onshore FX derivatives market on March 13, following the liberalisation by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange introduced at end of February.
-
Renminbi depreciation has been one of the market's most talked about issues with many predicting the trend to continue well into 2017. But ICBC Asia’s co-head of global markets Jimmy Jim told GlobalRMB that such fears are overblown and he believes the renminbi is maturing into a two-way fluctuating currency.
-
The Hong Kong Exchange traversed a difficult financial year, marked on the one hand by sagging trading on the Stock Connect, and on the other a surge in RMB FX derivatives activity. For 2017, HKEX’s chief executive Charles Li said more RMB products are in store.
-
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) has followed up on a promise made at the end of last year, announcing on Monday that foreign institutional investors are now allowed to enter the onshore FX derivatives market.