COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Elderly and Disabled Assistive Solutions Market during Q1 of 2021| Expected to reach USD 15.23 Billion by 2025|Technavio

Bloomberg
China’s Digital Yuan Won’t Topple Dollar, BOJ Official Says
(Bloomberg) -- A senior Bank of Japan official played down the potential for China’s digital yuan to threaten the dollar’s position as the world’s main reserve currency.“The dollar’s status as the key global currency won’t change so easily,” said Kazushige Kamiyama, head of the BOJ’s payment systems department and the person in charge of looking into a virtual Japanese currency. “In fact, the dollar’s advantage may strengthen further if the U.S. goes with digitalization.”A report earlier this week showed the Biden administration is increasing its scrutiny of China’s progress toward a digital yuan amid concern it could kick off a long-term bid to displace the dollar.The People’s Bank of China has moved closer to becoming the first major central bank to launch a virtual currency, rolling out a trial for consumers and businesses in cities across the country.The PBOC has been working on a digital currency since 2014 and its moves have heightened interest among central banks and policy makers, while the spread of cryptocurrencies has added to a sense that competitors to regular cash could change how the financial sector operates.The pandemic has also accelerated the use of cashless payments, even in Japan where banknotes and coins are still used in a majority of transactions.Kamiyama said the BOJ had no specific plans for a pilot test at this point, but he denied that the central bank was lagging its peers.“The BOJ isn’t behind” in the study of a digital currency, Kamiyama said.The BOJ started the first phase of its own technical experiments on digital currencies last week and is participating in group studies on them with the Bank for International Settlements and six major central banks including the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.The group in October said the introduction of digital currencies shouldn’t undermine the stability of the current financial system.“No single digital currency from a central bank is likely to conquer the world as long as everyone continues to work on improving their settlement systems,” Kamiyama said.(Updates with more comments from Kamiyama)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
23h ago
FX Empire
S&P 500 Price Forecast – Stock Markets Continue to Rally On Retail Sales
The S&P 500 has rallied significantly during the trading session after the retail sales numbers in America came out much stronger than anticipated.
1d ago
Bloomberg
China Joins U.S. as Engine of Global Recovery With Record Growth
(Bloomberg) -- China’s economy strengthened in the first quarter of the year as consumer spending rose more than expected, putting it on course to join the U.S. as twin engines for a global recovery in 2021.Gross domestic product climbed 18.3% in the first quarter from a year earlier, largely in line with the 18.5% predicted in a Bloomberg survey of economists, though that record-breaking figure was mainly due to comparisons with a year ago when much of the economy was shut due to coronavirus. Retail sales beat expectations while industrial output growth moderated.The latest data puts China on course to grow well above its annual target of more than 6%, supporting the view that China and the U.S., where economists predict 6.2% growth, will both outperform other major nations this year. China’s recovery hasn’t yet plateaued after it became the first major economy to contain the spread of coronavirus and return to growth, with GDP rising 0.6% in the first three months of 2021 from the previous quarter.How Much of China’s GDP Was Made in America?: Daniel MossThe recovery last year was led by strong investment in real estate and infrastructure spurring demand for industrial goods, while overseas orders for medical goods and electronic devices fueled exports. Consumer spending had lagged, but the latest figures showed a turnaround. Retail sales growth was 6.3% in March when calculated on a two-year average growth basis -- which removes distortions created by last year’s lockdowns -- up sharply from the rates seen last year.“We are seeing a bit more balanced recovery in the Chinese economy,” Wang Tao, chief China economist at UBS AG, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “That early pickup in construction industry is going to give way to more household consumption,” she added. Consumer spending at restaurants and sales of discretionary goods such as jewelry, alcohol and tobacco led the growth of retail sales in March.The economy was also boosted by a jump in investment from overseas. Inbound investment into China rose almost 40% to $45 billion in the first three months of 2021, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce released Thursday. That was the highest for that period in comparable data back to 2002.Markets were choppy following the data release but ended the day little changed, with the benchmark CSI 300 Index paring an earlier loss of as much as 0.6% to finish up 0.35% for the day. The yield on benchmark 10-year sovereign debt fell slightly to 3.16%. The onshore yuan was unchanged on the day at 6.5226 per dollar.Broadening out the recovery remains a work in progress with growth in the first quarter still reliant on the property sector. Fixed-asset investment in real estate rose 7.6% on a two-year average growth basis and infrastructure spending increased roughly in-line with pre-pandemic rates. Quarterly steel production of 271 million tons suggests that annual output is on course to top 1 billion tons for the second year running.What Bloomberg Economics Says...The undershoot in GDP growth relative to expectations and lopsided nature of the recovery do not warrant any economy-wide shift in monetary policy, in our view.Looking forward, production is poised to start peaking, while demand should pick up further. This should add more balance in what looks to be a steady recovery ahead.Chang Shu, chief Asia economistFor full report, click hereAlthough Beijing has promised “no sharp turns” in monetary and fiscal support this year, some prominent economists have warned that premature tightening could still put the recovery at risk. The central bank has asked banks to curtail loan growth in coming months as it seeks to control credit to curb asset bubbles. Alongside the investment data, data showing home prices grew at the fastest pace in seven months in March will likely prompt more action by Chinese policy makers to rein in the sector.“Considering the robust recovery, we certainly do not expect Beijing to step up easing measures, but it is also unlikely to make a sharp shift in its policy stance,” Nomura economists led by Lu Ting wrote in a note. Authorities have learned lessons from a “forceful deleveraging campaign” in 2017-18, which led to bond defaults, a stock market selloff and weaker growth, they said.The statistics bureau said Friday inflation is expected to remain in a moderate range this year, and while rising commodity costs could boost domestic prices, there’s no basis for prices in upstream sectors to rise significantly.“The economy is far from overheating,” said Bruce Pang, head of macro and strategy research at China Renaissance Securities Hong Kong Ltd. “The consumer sector doesn’t have a solid basis for overheating, and I don’t think the central bank will take a faster turn for monetary policy.”Bloomberg Economics forecasts global GDP growth of 6.9% in 2021, rapid enough to bring output substantially back onto its pre-Covid path. Data released Thursday showed the U.S. economy’s comeback is firing on all cylinders, with retail sales exceeding pre-pandemic levels in all categories except restaurants. Production at U.S. factories increased in March by the most in eight months.China has rapidly accelerated its vaccination campaign over the past month in a move that should help bolster spending on services. A recovery in major economies fueled by vaccine roll-outs and the Biden administration’s massive fiscal stimulus is expected to sustain rapid growth in Chinese exports this year.Economists have upgraded their forecasts for China’s growth in recent days: Bloomberg Economics expects 9.3% expansion, ING Groep NV economist Iris Pang predicts 8.6% and Nomura sees 8.9%.“We expect the economy to continue to gain momentum in the second quarter, with a rotation in terms of the drivers of growth compared to last year,” said Louis Kuijs, head of Asia Economics at Oxford Economics Ltd. in Hong Kong. “Less generous fiscal and monetary policy will weigh on infrastructure and real estate investment, while improved profitability and confidence should buoy corporate investment and consumption.”(Updates with foreign investment data.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
14h ago
Reuters
Surge in illegal bank loan-funded China property buys worries regulators
Property purchases in China funded through bank loans fraudulently obtained by speculators are fuelling already red-hot real estate markets in its biggest cities and beginning to alarm regulators. Four tier-1 Chinese cities, including Shenzhen and Shanghai, have reported since March that a probe by financial regulators found that 877.8 million yuan ($134.21 million) of bank loans were improperly used for property purchases.
16h ago
Reuters
Graphic: The cycle turns - Emerging central banks hike rates in March
Emerging market central banks delivered five net interest rate hikes in March, marking the end of an easing cycle which started in 2019 as central banks in the developing world grapple with rising inflation pressures. Across a group of 37 central banks in developing economies, policy makers in Ukraine, Georgia, Brazil, Turkey and Russia raised interest rates, many delivering bigger hikes than expected. This follows a total of two net interest rate cuts in February.
8h ago
Reuters
Bitcoin tumbles after Turkey bans crypto payments citing risks
Bitcoin tumbled more than 4% on Friday after Turkey's central bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies and crypto assets for purchases citing possible "irreparable" damage and transaction risks. In legislation published in the Official Gazette, the central bank said cryptocurrencies and other such digital assets based on distributed ledger technology could not be used, directly or indirectly, to pay for goods and services. The decision could stall Turkey's crypto market, which has gained momentum in recent months as investors joined the global rally in bitcoin, seeking to hedge against lira depreciation and inflation that topped 16% last month.
13h ago
CoinDesk
Coinbase Misses Out on Dogecoin Listing as Meme Token Rallies 6,000%+ on Binance
Coinbase is known for its expensive trading fees yet it's still not listing doge, one of the most traded tokens.
8h ago
Reuters
China's Geely targets slice of premium electric car market with 'startup' brand Zeekr
NINGBO, China/BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese automaker Geely, owner of Volvo Cars, on Thursday launched a high-end electric vehicle (EV) brand named Zeekr, targeting China's growing appetite for premium EVs that has boosted sales for Tesla and Chinese peer Nio. Parent Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and Geely Automobile said last month they would jointly invest 2 billion yuan ($306 million) in the new venture, seeking to position Zeekr as a startup under Geely group, also known overseas for its 9.7% stake in Germany's Daimler AG. The price tags for Zeekr cars will be around 300,000 yuan, and Flynn Chen, Zeekr's vice president, said the brand will explore new sales and marketing methods, including allowing customers to subscribe to car-using rights and offering a stake in the company to car buyers.
2d ago
Bloomberg
Coinbase’s Retail Buyers Stung After Plowing in at Debut
(Bloomberg) -- Coinbase Global Inc. got a jump start on its first day of trading from the retail crowd. And the early enthusiasts likely walked away with a few bruises.Day traders purchased a net $57 million of the cryptocurrency exchange’s shares during its debut Wednesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, according to data from VandaTrack. That total accounted for 7% of the $822 million individual investors spent on all U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds on the day, and made Coinbase the fifth-most popular debut with the demographic since 2017.They didn’t wait long to jump in.Nearly a third of all retail dollars spent on Coinbase Wednesday poured in during the first 20 minutes of trading as the shares soared by 13% from the opening price of $381 to an intraday high of $429.54. Retail buying tapered off as the initial euphoria waned and the shares paired their gains to finish the day below the opening trade price.Coinbase gained as much as 6.4% in early trading Thursday on news of a $246 million investment from Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment Management and positive analyst coverage, though the shares remained below their opening price.Tayo Kuku, a 27-year old photographer based in Washington, D.C., is among the cohort of investors who bought in. But within 10 minutes of purchasing the stock at $394 and a few conversations with his friends who are also buyers, it “made me realize that I probably didn’t make the best decision jumping in that quickly,” he said.“I obviously knew the risk of jumping in on a company as soon as it went public, but it just seemed like an obvious investment considering cryptocurrency has been the ‘next big thing’ for young investors like me.”Fortunately for Kuku, he managed to sell at a profit at $415. Though he left unscathed, he still plans to “keep an eye out and may possibly dip my feet back in in the next few weeks.”The debut of the first cryptocurrency exchange to list on a U.S. public market was widely hailed as ushering in a new era for the oft-mocked asset class. That drew the attention of retail traders who piled in at a level not seen since the debut of Rocket Cos., the parent of the mortgage giant founded by billionaire Dan Gilbert, making it the fifth most- popular new listing among the group since 2017.“It is pretty surprising to see such strong buying,” said Viraj Patel, global macro strategist at Vanda Research. “There was obviously a lot of hype around this and certainly Coinbase will be almost the best proxy for trading the crypto theme in the coming years.”On Fidelity’s platform Coinbase was the most traded stock on the day. More than 148,000 shares changed hands there, nearly nine times more than runner-up Tesla Inc., according to data from the brokerage.“What is fascinating about Coinbase is this is the first way in which individuals can take part in this new market for cryptocurrencies without being subject themselves to the volatility those currencies have,” Michael Wolf, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Activate, a technology consulting firm, said on Bloomberg Television. “We are going to see that Coinbase is going to be held widely -- at this market cap, it’s going to be held by index funds. It will allow small investors as well as individuals to take part in this entire move toward cryptocurrencies.”But for all the fanfare, Coinbase wasn’t the top pick of at-home traders on Wednesday. That honor went to the ProShares UltraPro QQQ exchange-traded fund (ticker TQQQ), a three times levered tracker of the Nasdaq 100 Index, which saw $72 million of net retail buying on the day despite plunging by 3.5%.(Updates for Thursday trading in the fifth paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
1d ago
FX Empire
Gold Price Forecast – Gold Markets Continue to Reach Higher
Gold markets have rallied a bit during the trading session on Friday again, as we continue to see a recovery in this market.
8h ago
Reuters
Dollar steady as strong data offsets lower yields
The dollar index was little changed on the day on Thursday as investors balanced bullish data showing U.S. retail sales rose by the most in 10 months in March against a continued drop in U.S. Treasury yields. Retail sales increased 9.8% last month, the Commerce Department said on Thursday, beating economists' expectations for a 5.9% increase. “This was a one-two punch of really positive data,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York.
2d ago
Quartz
What will happen to Citibank customers’ accounts and credit cards as it exits India?
Citibank has hinted there won't be any possible layoff and closure of physical branches in the countries it is exiting.
18h ago
Reuters
Verizon to launch 5G internet for businesses in 21 U.S. cities
Verizon Communications Inc, one of the largest U.S. telecom companies, said on Thursday it will launch 5G internet for businesses in 21 U.S. cities this month, expanding its presence from Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Verizon is offering a 10-year price lock for new customers, no data limits and plans ranging from 100 Mbps to 400 Mbps to business users in cities such as Atlanta, Detroit, Las Vegas and San Francisco. Verizon plans to expand its 5G business internet footprint throughout the country, bringing its full suite of services from video-collaboration tools to edge computing.
1d ago
Reuters
World stocks rally as Treasury yields tumble
World stocks extended a five-day run of fresh highs on Thursday, fueled by upbeat earnings and strong U.S. economic data that point to a solid recovery ahead, while Russian markets tumbled at the prospect of the harshest U.S. sanctions in years. A tumble in the 10-year U.S. Treasury note below 1.6% to yield 1.5496%, a fall of 8.6 basis points, helped spur renewed buying of big tech stocks and drive MSCI's benchmark for global equity markets up 0.80% to fresh peaks. The all-country world index, a benchmark heavily weighted to Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc, is up about 8.5% for the year as growth rose 1.4% and value 0.4% on Thursday, as measured by the Russell 1000 indexes.
2d ago
BBC
Amazon's Bezos: Union defeat does not bring 'comfort'
Jeff Bezos said in his shareholder letter that Amazon must 'do a better job for our employees'.
1d ago
Bloomberg
Knighthead, Certares Boost Bid to Buy Hertz From Bankruptcy
(Bloomberg) -- The fight to buy Hertz Global Holdings Inc. out of bankruptcy is escalating after a group of investors that were previously outbid sweetened their deal to give the reorganized company an enterprise value of around $6.2 billion.The amended proposal from Knighthead Capital Management and Certares Management would pay unsecured bondholders in full, and offer existing shareholders equity in the reorganized company, according to people with knowledge of the plan who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter.The new plan includes a private placement of $750 million in reorganized stock from ad hoc equity investors that would be available to eligible shareholders, the people said. Apollo Global Management agreed to provide $2.5 billion in preferred equity financing as part of the amended proposal, the people said. The deal assigns the reorganized Hertz an equity market value of around $5.5 billion.Hertz shares surged as much as 46% Friday morning in New York to trade at $1.79.Representatives for Knighthead, Certares and Apollo declined to comment. A representative for Hertz didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported on the amended plan.Hertz filed for bankruptcy in May when the near-total shutdown of the global travel industry sent its rental revenues plunging. It became a popular stock among day traders, who sent shares of the bankrupt company soaring, even though common shareholders are typically wiped out in Chapter 11 proceedings. Hertz briefly raised funds for its bankruptcy by selling stock, but abandoned the program after the Securities and Exchange Commission questioned the plan.Earlier this month, Hertz chose a rival offer from Centerbridge Partners, Warburg Pincus and Dundon Capital Partners to help it exit bankruptcy. Under that plan, supporting noteholders agreed to support the exchange of unsecured funded debt claims against Hertz for about 48.2% of the equity in the reorganized company and the right to purchase an additional $1.6 billion of shares.The sweetened offer from Knighthead gives the company a new option to consider as it works to leave court protection. Hertz aims to complete the process in June, and has put tentative restructuring terms in place for review and approval by a bankruptcy judge in Wilmington, Delaware.Hertz is rushing to exit court protection to take advantage of the hot stock market and an expected surge in summer travel as more consumers are vaccinated against Covid-19. The industry is raising prices as business and leisure travel surges and household-name rental companies don’t have enough cars for customers to drive off the lot. Firms are adding cars back to their fleets, but can only do so slowly since a semiconductor shortage has hampered production of new cars. Hertz, like rivals that didn’t file bankruptcy, sold large portions of its inventory and cut costs severely to shore up finances when U.S. travel ground to a halt last year. The amended Knighthead and Certares plan also includes $550 million of cash in a recovery pool that would pay general unsecured creditors in full, the people said. It also includes a 250 million euro ($300 million) interim financing plan to help meet the liquidity needs of Hertz’s international businesses, they added.(Updates with bankruptcy exit background in ninth paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
10h ago
Reuters
The cycle turns: Emerging central banks hike rates in March
Emerging market central banks delivered five net interest rate hikes in March, marking the end of an easing cycle which started in 2019 as central banks in the developing world grapple with rising inflation pressures. Across a group of 37 central banks in developing economies, policy makers in Ukraine, Georgia, Brazil, Turkey and Russia raised interest rates, many delivering bigger hikes than expected. This follows a total of two net interest rate cuts in February.
8h ago
Reuters
North American oil bankruptcies hit highest first quarter level since 2016: Haynes and Boone
Bankruptcies by North American oil producers rose to the highest first-quarter level since 2016, according to a report released on Thursday by law firm Haynes and Boone, as some energy firms struggled to recover from the 2020 crash in oil prices. There were eight bankruptcies by North American oil and gas producers in the first quarter of 2021, versus 17 in the first quarter of 2016 - the last time U.S. crude futures dipped under $30 a barrel. HighPoint Resources Corp was the largest debt-holder to file for the quarter, with $905 million in secured and unsecured debt.
1d ago
Reuters
Gold hits seven-week peak as retreating U.S. yields boost appeal
Gold prices rose to a seven-week high on Friday and were on track for their best week since mid-December as retreating U.S. Treasury yields and a softer dollar bolstered the metal's appeal. Spot gold jumped 0.9% to $1,779.00 per ounce by 10:26 a.m. EDT (1426 GMT), having earlier hit its highest since Feb. 25 at $1,783.55. "We've had many investors abandon some positions because of some extreme technical selling we saw with Treasury yields and that has really provided a strong backdrop here for gold prices to continue to appreciate."
19h ago
Reuters
Tesla, ex-engineer settle lawsuit over Autopilot source code
Tesla Inc has settled a lawsuit against a former employee who copied the source code of the electric vehicle (EV) maker's Autopilot technology, according to a U.S. district court filing dated April 15. Tesla filed the lawsuit in 2019, saying its employee Cao Guangzhi, who worked at Tesla for two years, copied the source code before in January 2019 joining XMotors, the U.S. unit of Chinese self-driving car startup Xpeng Inc. Terms of the settlement, which included a monetary payment made by Cao to Tesla, were not disclosed.
15h ago

S&P 500

Dow 30

Nasdaq

Russell 2000

Crude Oil

Gold

Silver

EUR/USD

10-Yr Bond

GBP/USD

USD/JPY

BTC-USD

CMC Crypto 200

FTSE 100

Nikkei 225

COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Elderly and Disabled Assistive Solutions Market during Q1 of 2021| Expected to reach USD 15.23 Billion by 2025|Technavio

Recommended Stories

China’s Digital Yuan Won’t Topple Dollar, BOJ Official Says

S&P 500 Price Forecast – Stock Markets Continue to Rally On Retail Sales

China Joins U.S. as Engine of Global Recovery With Record Growth

Surge in illegal bank loan-funded China property buys worries regulators

Graphic: The cycle turns - Emerging central banks hike rates in March

Bitcoin tumbles after Turkey bans crypto payments citing risks

Coinbase Misses Out on Dogecoin Listing as Meme Token Rallies 6,000%+ on Binance

China's Geely targets slice of premium electric car market with 'startup' brand Zeekr

Coinbase’s Retail Buyers Stung After Plowing in at Debut

Gold Price Forecast – Gold Markets Continue to Reach Higher

Dollar steady as strong data offsets lower yields

What will happen to Citibank customers’ accounts and credit cards as it exits India?

Verizon to launch 5G internet for businesses in 21 U.S. cities

World stocks rally as Treasury yields tumble

Amazon's Bezos: Union defeat does not bring 'comfort'

Knighthead, Certares Boost Bid to Buy Hertz From Bankruptcy

The cycle turns: Emerging central banks hike rates in March

North American oil bankruptcies hit highest first quarter level since 2016: Haynes and Boone

Gold hits seven-week peak as retreating U.S. yields boost appeal

Tesla, ex-engineer settle lawsuit over Autopilot source code