Hong Kong

State media reported that a preliminary investigation into the 'deadliest mining disaster in China in over 15 years' revealed unmarked tunnels, fake doors, and missing trackers. The government has pledged to investigate the incident thoroughly, despite the fact that it is still early in the process. A gas explosion at the Liushenyu Mine in the coal-rich Shanxi province in northern China killed 82 people late Friday night. State media reported that two people were still missing and 128 others hospitalized. This is the worst mining accident to have occurred in China since 2009. A gas explosion in the Xinxing Mine,...

Contemporary?Amperex Tech Co (CATL), the world's biggest EV battery manufacturer, launched a $5 billion share sale on Monday in Hong Kong. The company is looking to capitalize on its shares which are nearing record highs. According to a termsheet seen by, CATL will be?offering HK$628.20 - HK$651.80 for new H shares, a discount ranging from 3.5% - 7.0% on Monday's closing price HK$675.50. The fundraising is part of CATL's efforts to lock in capital as its share price continues to rise. It also faces an EV market in China that is fiercely competitive and where it has been difficult for...

Next week, investors will be focusing on three major issues: the war in Iran and the interest rate path. Five of the "Magnificent Seven" U.S. technology giants are reporting their earnings. Four of the top central banks in the world meet to discuss how long they will be able to'realistically' look past the rise in energy prices caused by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. Marc Jones, Dhara Ranasinghe and Lewis Krauskopf in New York will give you all the information about this week's financial markets. Rae Wee is in Singapore. 1/CORRIDOR POWER The next week will be dominated...

Three people familiar with the matter said that Exxon Mobil, a U.S. energy giant, is "considering" selling its 'gas stations' in Hong Kong. The deal is expected to be worth a few hundred millions dollars. The company has hired a financial advisor and had discussions with a few bidders. Exxon didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. Bloomberg reported the first on the sale of the assets. According to people familiar with this matter, Exxon could seek a value between $500 million and $600 million. Oil and gas producer Esso offers a wide range of products?and services in Hong...

A term sheet showed that a unit of Sinopec had sold 8.5 millions Hong -Kong listed shares of CATL on Wednesday for $770 million. The company was able to cash in on the soaring stock performance of the Chinese electric vehicle -battery manufacturer. The term sheet examined by revealed that Sinopec (Hong Kong), in an accelerated stockbuild, sold shares at HK$708 (US$90.41), a discount of approximately 3.8% from the closing price on Tuesday for Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL). According to the term sheet, Sinopec also agreed to a 90 day lock-up period on its remaining CATL stake. According...

Hong Kong has taken'steps to help the transport sector - with rising fuel prices - on Thursday. A HK$3 per litre'subsidy is being offered on 'diesel used by commercial vehicles and vessels, and a 50% discount on tolls for commercial traffic that uses government tunnels. Hong Kong, which imports almost all of its energy, relies on fossil fuels for ?power generation and has some of the world's highest gasoline prices, ?according to globalpetrolprices.com. The government announced that the measures would support diesel-powered?public and commercial vehicles?, vessels?and related industries for a period of two months. They will cost approximately HK$1.8 billion...

The New York Times reported that Elon Musk was requiring banks and advisers who are working on 'SpaceX's IPO to buy subscriptions to Grok, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot. The report stated that some banks had agreed to spend up to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars per year on the chatbot, and they have already begun integrating it with their IT systems. This week, it was reported that Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup are the active bookrunners or 'lead banks' managing a deal. Musk and SpaceX have not responded to requests...

According to two sources familiar with the situation, Elon Musk's SpaceX had talks with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) about PIF possibly taking an anchor stake in the space company IPO of $5 billion. Sources said that the investment would prevent some dilution in?PIF’s existing stake, which is just under 1% of SpaceX. Three other sources confirmed that the rocket maker had?been lining-up anchor investors long before its stock market debut. The company plans to raise $75 billion in a record IPO, dwarfing previous mega-IPOs like Saudi Aramco and Alibaba. SpaceX wants to gauge investor interest in a deal...

According to two sources familiar with the situation, Elon Musk's SpaceX had held discussions with Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) about the possibility of PIF taking an anchor stake in the IPO of the space company worth around $5 billion. Sources said that the investment would prevent PIF from losing its existing stake in SpaceX of less than 1%. Three other sources confirmed that the rocket maker had been in contact with anchor investors well before its debut on the stock exchange. The company hopes to raise $75 billion in a record-breaking IPO, dwarfing previous mega-IPOs like 'Saudi Aramco...

Each financial market crisis differs, but they all rhyme. Parallels are emerging between the tremors rippling now through private credit, and those that led to the Global Financial Crisis in 2007-09. It's not to say that a replay of the historic crash is imminent. There is a growing danger that the mounting pressure in private credit, which includes?opaque prices, scarce or nonexistent liquid, and high redemptions, could spill over to public markets. BlackRock, a?world-leading?asset management firm with over $14 trillion in assets under management, announced on Friday that it had restricted withdrawals from its flagship debt fund following a spike...

Each financial market crisis differs, but they all rhyme. Parallels are emerging between the 'tremors' now rippling across private credit and the subprime housing in the U.S. that led to 2007-09 Global Financial Crisis. It's not to say that a replay of the historic crash is imminent. There is a growing danger that the increasing stress in the private credit market - i.e., the lack of liquidity, the opaque pricing and the soaring redemptions – could spill?over into the public markets. BlackRock, with its $14 trillion in assets under management, announced?on? Friday that it had limited withdrawals after an influx...

China has praised the visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Beijing on Thursday, calling it a "pivotal step" in efforts to recalibrate relations following months of intensive re-engagement. The remarks by China's top diplomat Wang Yi came during a meeting between Carney and his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand. Anita is a member of Carney's delegation on this first visit to Canada since 2017. Wang stated that this was the first time in eight years that the Canadian Prime Minister had visited China. This is a landmark and pivotal moment for our bilateral relationship. Wang said that China was...

This week, gold prices in India continued to be at a steep discount, due to price volatility, which dampened demand, while premiums in China were reduced. Dealers in India quoted discounts This week, you can save up to $78 per ounce on official domestic prices, including 15% import duty and 3% sales tax. That's a significant drop from the previous week when you could save up to $207 per ounce. Retail buyers are confused by the recent price fluctuations after the government increased import duty earlier in the month. "Most of them are waiting for the prices to come down,"...

This week, gold discounts in India reached a new record as a sharp increase in import duties slowed demand and triggered investor sales. Meanwhile, Chinese premiums remained firm due to investment demand. Dealers in India quoted discounts This week, you can save up to $207 per ounce on official domestic prices, including 15% import duties and 3% sales taxes. A jeweller in Hyderabad said that the'sudden rise in price' prompted investors and jewellers to sell while retail buyers and jewellers stayed out of it. India increased import duties on gold and Silver to 15% this week from 6%. India, the...

The demand for gold in India slowed this week due to volatile global prices and the weaker rupee. Meanwhile, premiums from China rose as they stocked up ahead of May Day. Indian dealers quoted discounts This week, premiums up to $9 per ounce, including 6% import duties and 3% sales taxes, are down to as low as $5, compared to the $15 premium last week. Chanda Venkatesh is the managing director of CapsGold, a bullion dealer based in Hyderabad. She said that after Akshaya Tritiya, jewellers have seen a drop in footfall and retail demand. On Thursday, domestic gold prices...

Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt announced on Tuesday that the?Indonesian?unit will temporarily stop some production lines starting May?1, cutting about half of the plant's?output. This is after rising sulphur costs increased costs at one its key battery nickel projects. In a press release, the Chinese nickel and copper maker stated that production at the Huafei Nickel Cobalt facility would be cut due to higher sulphur prices as well as the maintenance needed after a period of high-capacity production. The company did not specify how long the interruption would last. The spot price of sulphur for Indonesia has risen to $800 per metric...

Four sources familiar with the matter said that HSBC is hiring JPMorgan executive James Willis as its global precious metals sales director. Mark Augustynak, formerly of ICBC Standard Bank, was recruited by HSBC this month to lead its global metals trading division. HSBC is a market'maker' and a clearer on the London Over-the-Counter Market, where participants do not trade via an exchange but directly with one another. Each day, London clears 20 million troy-ounces of gold worth $96 billion at current prices. The appointments are part of a wider reshuffle in the trading and sales departments at major bullion bankers...

Kemcore, an African mining chemicals importer, is planning to build its processing plants in?Botswana?and Angola?to reduce the geopolitical risks associated with imports from China?and the Middle East?. Africa is an important supplier of minerals that are critical to the energy transition. It's also a battlefield for the United States, as Washington tries to curb Beijing's dominance by securing the supply chains. Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the two countries that dominate Africa's production of copper, while Congo is the world leader in cobalt. This puts the central African copperbelt right at the center of the minerals competition...

The 'earnings outlooks' of major Chinese copper smelters show that they plan to 'raise or maintain production in 2026 despite the public commitment made by a state-linked industry association last year to cut production by more than 10%. Last year, the?China Smelter Purchase Team(CSPT), a team of 16 of China's top copper smelters agreed to reduce production in order to combat overcapacity and lower processing fees for copper concentrats. Three major?smelters who are all CSPT-members have not reduced their output guidance in the last few weeks. Jiangxi Copper, China's largest copper smelter has raised its production guidance for 2026 copper...

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter reportedly said on 'Tuesday that Tether had?let go? two senior precious metals trader?it hired only three months earlier from HSBC. El Salvador-headquartered Tether cut the roles as spot gold prices headed for their steepest monthly drop since the 2008 financial crisis, pressured by fading expectations of rate cuts and rising energy costs amid the war in ?Iran. Tether holds about 130 metric tonnes of physical gold backing their products by the end of 2025. CEO Paolo Ardoino told in January that they also planned to allocate 10-15% of their own investment portfolio to...

London Metal Exchange announced?on Monday? that the existing limits on'rent' charged by its warehouse network?could be replaced with a daily fixed rate of load-out. The LME may require that daily, 1.5% of the metal in its warehouses be loaded onto warrants - title documents conferring ownership. The current system reduces rent to 'zero' if a storage facility fails to deliver the metal required within 80 days. The consultation is open until May 8 and will look at exempting cancellations over 10,000 metric tonnages from the 1.5% requirement. This would ensure that larger warehouses do not feel discouraged from accepting more...

Hong Kong's?Census and Statistics Department?data on Friday showed that China's net gold imports through Hong Kong rose by 68.7% compared to December. Data showed that the world's top gold consumer imported 20.585 net metric tons of gold in January. This is up from 12.205 tonnes in December. China is the largest gold buyer in the world. Its purchases can have a significant impact on global gold markets. Hong Kong's data might not be a complete picture of Chinese gold purchases, as it is also imported through Shanghai and Beijing. China's total gold imports via Hong Kong increased by 30.4% to...

As prices rebounded, India's gold?discounts widened the most in 10 months. Meanwhile, China's demand increased as its safe-haven appeal was reflected in the rising premiums of the bullion after the markets returned from Lunar New Year. Indian bullion dealers offer a discount This week, you can save up to $65 on official domestic gold prices - including 6% import duties and 3% sales taxes. Last week, the discount was up to $18. Retail buyers are not ready to purchase at these prices. "For many of them, current prices are just too high to afford," said Ashok JAIN,?proprietor at Mumbai-based wholesaler...

Hedging portfolios has been based on the same rules since decades. However, as technology, geopolitics, and trading have changed rapidly, it is time to update the rules. Old playbooks assumed stable relationships. Risk-off meant that bonds rallied. "Safe havens" cushioned withdrawals. Diversification could be left to autopilot. This assumption has proven to be unreliable. Portfolios that are resilient will be required as a result of rising leverage, shifting global alliances and technological disruption. To capture long-term capital preservation and growth, a more deliberate approach is needed. High-grade bonds are one of the most popular hedges. U.S. government debt and investment...