March, 2021

• 3 March

  Bond tumult makes Fed’s life complicated

  The volatility in government bond yields last week compelled several market participants to call on the Federal Reserve to say, or better, do something about it, though such calls have lacked specifics. At the same time, a handful of foreign central bank officials expressed concern that the financial conditions in their own countries are experiencing, to use the words of ...

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• 3 March

  Xi mobilises China to cut its dependence on West

  

  Bloomberg For US politicians, China’s potential to dominate sensitive cutting-edge technologies poses one of the biggest geopolitical threats of the next few decades. President Xi Jinping is similarly worried the US will block China’s rise, and this week will unveil plans for greater self-sufficiency. At an annual session of China’s legislature, top Communist Party leaders will approve a five-year policy ...

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• 3 March

  Bharti buys $2.6bn of airwaves to woo users

  

  Bloomberg Bharti Airtel Ltd, India’s second-largest wireless carrier by subscribers, will spend $2.6 billion acquiring new airwaves in an ongoing spectrum auction in India. The carrier, led by billionaire Sunil Mittal, acquired airwaves worth 186.99 billion rupees ($2.55 billion), according to a statement from the company on Tuesday. It added 355.45 megahertz to its spectrum portfolio and can now reach ...

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• 2 March

  Factories in Taiwan witness worst supply-chain delays

  Bloomberg Factories in Taiwan faced the longest delays on record in securing raw materials and components in February as they worked overtime to keep up with surging demand from clients overseas. Manufacturers cited low stock levels at suppliers, a shortage of freight containers and delayed shipping schedules as main reasons for the biggest delays since records began nearly 17 years ...

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• 2 March

  Hong Kong exploring SPAC listings to get in on deal boom

  

  Bloomberg Hong Kong is exploring allowing listing of special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC), jumping into a market that has sparked a frenzy of US dealmaking. The government has asked the Hong Kong exchange and the city’s financial regulator to look into having SPACs list, according to Financial Secretary Paul Chan. The aim is to allow the new fundraising arrangements, while ...

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• 2 March

  South Korea’s manufacturing powers ahead

  Bloomberg South Korea’s manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in a decade in February, even as the Lunar New Holiday across Asia cut demand and spurred a slowdown in China. A report from IHS Markit showed a purchasing managers’ index for Korean manufacturing jumped to 55.3 last month, rising further above the 50-threshold that separates expansion and contraction to ...

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• 2 March

  Sugar to get more expensive as India to miss export target

  

  Bloomberg India is set to miss its goal for sugar exports this year because of a late start to shipments and logistical challenges, potentially providing further fuel to the sweetener’s blistering rally. The world’s second-biggest producer, grappling with massive stockpiles, will ship almost 20% less than the government’s target and a forecast from a top industry group, according to the ...

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• 2 March

  US poised to sanction Russia over its treatment of Navalny

  

  Bloomberg The Biden administration is set to announce sanctions against Russia over the poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, according to people familiar with the matter. The penalties — like those just approved by European Union ambassadors — will match sanctions the EU and the UK imposed earlier on other Russians allied to President Vladimir Putin as punishment ...

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• 2 March

  Insurgents and troops commit war crimes in Mozambique: Amnesty

  

  Bloomberg Insurgents, security forces and a private military company contracted by the government have killed hundreds of civilians in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, according to Amnesty International. “The people of Cabo Delgado are caught between the Mozambican security forces, the private militia fighting alongside the government and the armed opposition group locally known as ‘al-Shabaab’ — none of which ...

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• 2 March

  Myanmar junta says live bullets won’t be used on protesters

  

  Bloomberg Myanmar’s military has asked security forces responsible for deadly attacks on anti-coup protesters over the weekend not to use live ammunition as international condemnation grows. The announcement was made in a broadcast on state-run MRTV after the Southeast Asian nation saw its deadliest day since the February 1 coup, with the United Nations saying at least 18 protesters were ...

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