Showing posts with label G-20 Summit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label G-20 Summit. Show all posts

Monday, June 18, 2012

DTN News - FINANCIAL NEWS: Global Markets Jump After Greek Vote Eases Fears

DTN News - FINANCIAL NEWS: Global Markets Jump After Greek Vote Eases Fears
*Global markets jump as Angela Merkel tells election victor Antonis Samaras she is confident Greece will abide by bailout pledges, and world leaders gather in Mexico for the G20.
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The Globe & Mail
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 18, 2012: Asian stock markets were up sharply Monday after elections in Greece eased fears of global financial turmoil, but analysts warned that the economic crisis shaking the 17 nations that use the euro was far from over. Stock markets rejoiced at the narrow victory by Greek conservatives who favour upholding an austerity program that their recession-mired country entered into in exchange for a financial bailout from international lenders.

Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 1.9 per cent at 8,731.57. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.6 per cent to 19,548.83. Australia’s S&P/ASX200 added 1.8 per cent to 4,129.20 and South Korea’s Kospi rose 2.1 per cent at 1,897.62.

On Wall Street, Dow Jones industrial average futures were up 62 points on Sunday night, suggesting the market could open higher Monday. The euro rose to $1.2700 (U.S.) from $1.2637 late Friday in New York. The U.S. dollar rose to 79.22 yen from 78.71 yen.

The New Zealand and Australian dollars were also higher. Both currencies typically rise when investors have more appetite for risk. The Australian dollar was trading above $1.01 and the New Zealand dollar was trading above 79 cents.

Masahiro Yamaguchi, a manager at Mizuho Securities Co. in Tokyo, said the perk in Tokyo stocks came from a sense of relief that the worst had been avoided in Greece.

“There’s is a rebound simply because the risks are now reduced,” he said. “There’s a sense that, at least, things are okay for now. The solution is far from basic.”

On Sunday, pro-bailout parties in Greece won enough seats to form a coalition government.

Greece has been dependent on rescue loans to operate since May 2010, after it was shut out of international markets following years of profligate spending and falsifying financial data.

The country is mired in a fifth year of recession, with unemployment spiralling above 22 per cent and tens of thousands of businesses shutting down.

Greece had to agree to austerity measures to get its bailout. Measures included deep spending cuts on everything from health care to education and infrastructure as well as tax hikes and cuts in salaries and pensions. Anger at the measures has sent Greeks into the streets in frequent strikes and protests, some of them violent.

Some analysts said the election results could overstate the willingness of Greeks to embrace austerity.

“Overall, the Greek election result, while welcome, does not imply that the Greek people are embracing the tough reforms tied to the bailout package. It merely meant that fear overruled anger,” analysts at DBS Bank Ltd. in Singapore wrote in a market commentary.

No one is sure how bad a Greek exit from the euro would have been. Greece would almost have certainly defaulted on its debt, triggering losses for European banks that own its government bonds. The outcome of the election, however tenuous, gives Greece a chance to breathe life into its moribund economy.

“It will be tough, but Greece will survive because I think the tourist industry and the agriculture sector will help it recover from its dire straits right now,” said Francis Lun, managing director of Lyncean Holdings in Hong Kong.

Japanese vehicle makers soared on hopes that Europe, a huge export market, would avoid deepening economic turbulence. Mazda Motor Corp. jumped 4 per cent and Yamaha Motor Co. gained 4.5 per cent.

Steelmakers and shipyards also gained ground. South Korea’s top shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries, rose 3.1 per cent. Japan’s JFE Holdings Inc. added 4 per cent and Kobe Steel rose 3.3 per cent.

Samsonite International SA rebounded 5.8 per cent after it issued a statement saying its luggage is safe, following a Hong Kong Consumer Council report last week that found carcinogens in the handles of some models, which caused its shares to dive 16 per cent.

But stock market operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. fell 2.8 per cent as investors worried a $2.2-billion bid announced last week for the London Metal Exchange was too high.

Benchmark oil for July delivery was up 91 cents to $84.94 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 12 cents to end at $84.03 a barrel in New York on Friday.

  DTN STOCK MARKET


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The Globe & Mail
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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Thursday, November 11, 2010

DTN News: China TODAY November 11, 2010 - China Trade Surplus Heightens G-20 Tensions

DTN News: China TODAY November 11, 2010 - China Trade Surplus Heightens G-20 Tensions
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources CNNMoney.com
(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK, U.S. - November 11, 2010: As global leaders prepare to debate international trade imbalances this week, both the U.S. and China announced data that points to a continued trade disparity between the world's two largest economies.

The U.S. trade gap, which measures the difference between a nation's imports and exports, narrowed slightly to $44 billion in September, the Census Bureau reported Wednesday. Exports increased only slightly, while imports dropped by 1%.

The U.S. deficit with China alone shrank slightly to $27.8 billion, but was still near record-highs. Meanwhile, China announced a massive trade surplus, which surged to a staggering $27.2 billion in October -- a 61% increase over September's $16.9 billion surplus. China's data is one month ahead of the U.S. report. China's exports soared 22.9%, while imports grew 25.3%.

The widening trade gap between the two countries could set the stage for a confrontational meeting of G-20 nations in Seoul, South Korea this week.

China's government has said it is trying to promote more domestic consumption, to decrease its reliance on exports and narrow the trade surplus, but Wednesday's data will do little to support that claim.

"China's delegation to this week's G-20 summit will have a hard job convincing others that China's government is doing all it can to stimulate domestic spending," Mark Williams, senior China economist at Capital Economics wrote in a note to clients. China's trade surplus with the U.S. is among the most glaring, according to Williams. In the last month, China shipped $25 billion in goods to the U.S. and bought only $7 billion in return, he said.

Global 'trade wars' heat up

The United States has accused China of keeping its currency, the yuan, undervalued by buying up large reserves of foreign currencies. A cheaper yuan gives an advantage to Chinese exporters by allowing them to undercut foreign competitors.

In September, the House passed a bill that would allow for tariffs on Chinese goods. Before the bill becomes law, it must pass the Senate and be signed by President Obama.

Since then, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has been urging G-20 nations to take strong action against currency manipulation, and change economic policies in countries running large trade surpluses to reduce dependence on exports.

At a meeting of finance ministers of the G-20 group of nations in Gyeongju, South Korea, last month, the ministers pledged not to engage in currency wars, but stopped short of an outright ban on currency manipulation.

In the G-20 finance ministers' closing statement, they said they would "move towards more market determined exchange rate systems that reflect underlying economic fundamentals and refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies."

The ministers added that the G-20 member nations would "continue to resist all forms of protectionist measures and seek to make significant progress to further reduce barriers to trade."

Last week, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced it would pump another $600 billion into the U.S. economy through the purchase of long-term Treasuries, a move known as quantitative easing.

But the move has drawn harsh criticism from leaders who are concerned it will devalue the dollar, and stoked fears of a "currency war" in which nations deliberately devalue their own currencies to keep their own exports competitive in the global marketplace.

On Tuesday, a Chinese rating agency downgraded its rating on the United States, warning that the Federal Reserve's bond-buying spree could trigger a creditor crisis.

China also announced on Wednesday, that it would raise the reserve requirement ratio on major banks by half a percentage point, in an attempt to control the flow of new money.

CNN's Helena Hong and Annalyn Censky contributed to this report

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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