August, 2022

• 31 August

  As IPOs slump globally, all big deals are coming from China

  

    Bloomberg In a year where initial public offerings (IPOs) globally have slumped by more than two-thirds, one would expect the summer break to be especially quiet. Not so in Asia, where stock listings have notched their second-highest August haul on record. First-time share sales in the Asia Pacific region totaled $14.9 billion this month, data compiled by Bloomberg show. …

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• 31 August

  Japan’s regulator proposes tax breaks for investors, crypto

  

    Bloomberg Japan’s financial regulator proposed easing corporate tax rules for crypto assets as well as lighter levies for individual stock investors in support of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s efforts to reinvigorate the economy. Companies should be exempted from paying taxes for paper gains on crypto coins that they hold after issuing them, the regulator proposed in its annual tax-code …

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• 31 August

  EU reaches gas storage goal early despite Russian supply cut

  

  Bloomberg The European Union (EU) met its gas storage filling goal two months ahead of target as the bloc braces for a tough winter with Russia limiting supplies and energy contracts trading at elevated levels throughout the continent. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen celebrated the milestone on Monday, telling an audience at an energy conference in Denmark that the …

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• 31 August

  Chinese airlines suffer billions in losses during Covid-19 pandemic

  

  Bloomberg China’s big three state-owned airlines saw total losses during the Covid pandemic balloon to 127.6 billion yuan ($18.5 billion) by the end of June, as the country stuck with its zero-tolerance strategy of border restrictions and snap lockdowns. Air China Ltd. said on Tuesday its net loss in the first six months of 2022 widened 186% to 19.4 billion …

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• 31 August

  Taiwan’s China Airlines to buy 16 Boeing 787s in $2.1 billion deal

  

  Bloomberg Taiwan’s China Airlines Ltd. ordered 16 Boeing Co. 787-9 aircraft with options for eight more and conversion rights to a higher-capacity Dreamliner jet, as it looks beyond the pandemic. The government-backed carrier announced the deal in a statement on Tuesday, weeks after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, infuriating Beijing, which considers the island to be part of …

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• 31 August

  Best Buy’s profit tops estimates that were cut by sliding demand

  

  Bloomberg Best Buy Co surpassed Wall Street’s profit estimate after warning a month ago that it was under pressure from waning consumer-electronics demand. Adjusted earnings fall to $1.54 a share in the fiscal second quarter, Best Buy said in a statement on Tuesday. That exceeded the $1.35 average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg, which had come down sharply since …

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• 31 August

  France’s Auchan sticks to Russia despite demand slowdown

  

  Bloomberg Auchan Retail plans to keep its Russian operations going even though the division is likely to be unprofitable and the country’s invasion of Ukraine continues amid global condemnation. The French grocer is experiencing a “marked slowdown in activity” in Russia that began in the second quarter, Auchan Retail Chief Financial Officer Ludovic Delcloy told analysts and journalists during a …

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• 31 August

  US consumer confidence rises

    Bloomberg US consumer confidence rose by more than forecast in August to the highest since May, suggesting that Americans are growing more optimistic about the economy amid falling gas prices. The Conference Board’s index increased to 103.2 from a downwardly revised 95.3 reading in July, the first increase in four months, data on Tuesday showed. The median forecast in …

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• 31 August

  China takes aggressive steps in its latest battle to bolster yuan

  

  Bloomberg China took the most aggressive step yet in its latest battle to bolster the yuan, setting its reference rate for the currency with the second-strongest bias on record. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) fixed the yuan against the dollar at 249 pips stronger than the average estimate in a survey of market participants — which Bloomberg started compiling …

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• 31 August

  Rupiah heads for test of key support as trade outlook darkens

  

    Bloomberg The rupiah looks poised to test a key support level in the coming months as falling commodity prices, a potential tax on nickel exports and the slow pace of interest rate hikes in Indonesia weigh down the currency. An earlier-than-expected hike from Bank Indonesia last week did little to support rupiah, with the 25-basis-points increase easily overshadowed by …

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