New York City Is Now Home to 21 Israeli-Founded Unicorns

FX Empire
Lockheed Martin’s Q1 Earnings to Rise About 4%; Target Price $425
Bethesda, Maryland-based global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin is expected to report its first-quarter earnings of $6.31 per share on Tuesday, which represents year-over-year growth of about 4% from $6.08 per share seen in the same quarter a year ago.
8h ago
Bloomberg
China’s $87 Billion Electric-Car Giant Hasn’t Sold a Vehicle Yet
(Bloomberg) -- China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group Ltd.’s expansive pop-up showroom sits at the heart of Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center. With nine models on display, it’s hard to miss. The electric car upstart has one of the biggest booths at China’s 2021 Auto Show, which starts Monday, opposite storied German automaker BMW AG. Yet its bold presence belies an uncomfortable truth -- Evergrande hasn’t sold a single car under its own brand.China’s largest property developer has an array of investments outside of real estate, from soccer clubs to retirement villages. But it’s the recent entry into electric cars that’s captured investors’ imaginations. Shareholders have pushed Evergrande NEV’s Hong Kong-listed stock up more than 1,000% over the past 12 months, allowing it to raise billions of dollars in fresh capital. It now has a market value of $87 billion, greater than Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co.Such exuberance over an automaker that has repeatedly pushed back forecasts for when it will mass produce a car is emblematic of the froth that has been building in EVs over the past year, with investors plowing money into a rally that briefly made Elon Musk the world’s richest person and has some concerned about a bubble. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in China, home to the world’s biggest market for new energy cars, where a mind-boggling 400 EV manufacturers now jostle for consumers’ attention, led by a cabal of startups valued more than established auto players but which have yet to turn a profit.Evergrande NEV was a relatively late entrant to that scene.In March 2019, Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande’s chairman and one of China’s richest men, vowed to take on Musk and become the world’s biggest maker of EVs in three to five years. Tesla Inc.’s Model Y crossover had just had its global debut. In the two years since, Tesla has gained an enviable foothold in China, establishing its first factory outside the U.S. and delivering around 35,500 cars in March. Chinese rival Nio Inc. earlier this month reached a significant milestone when its 100,000th EV rolled off the production line, prompting Musk to tweet his congratulations.Read more: Nio, Xpeng Exude Optimism as EVs Boom: Shanghai Auto ShowDespite his lofty ambitions and Evergrande NEV’s rich valuation, Hui has repeatedly pushed back car-production targets. The tycoon’s coterie of rich friends, among others, have stumped up billions, but making cars -- electric or otherwise -- is hard, and hugely capital intensive. Nio’s gross margins only flipped into positive territory in mid-2020, after years of heavy losses and a lifeline from a municipal government.Speaking on an earnings call in late March after Evergrande NEV’s full-year loss for 2020 widened by a yawning 67%, Hui said the company planned to begin trial production at the end of this year, delayed from an original timeline of last September. Deliveries aren’t expected to start until some time in 2022. Expectations for annual production capacity of 500,000 to 1 million EVs by March 2022 were also pushed back until 2025. Still, the company issued a buoyant new forecast: 5 million cars a year by 2035. For comparison, global giant Volkswagen AG delivered 3.85 million units in China in 2020.It’s not just Evergrande’s delayed production schedule that’s raising eyebrows. A closer look under the company’s hood reveals practices that have industry veterans scratching their heads: from making selling apartments part of car executives’ KPIs, to attempting a model lineup that would be ambitious for even the most established automaker.‘Weird Company’“It’s a weird company,” said Bill Russo, the founder and chief executive officer of advisory firm Automobility Ltd. in Shanghai. “They’ve poured a lot of money in that hasn’t really returned anything, plus they’re entering an industry in which they have very limited understanding. And I’m not sure they’ve got the technological edge of Nio or Xpeng,” he said, referring to the New York-listed Chinese EV makers already deploying intelligent features in their cars, like laser-based navigation.A closer look at Evergrande NEV’s operations reveals the extent of its unorthodox approach. While it’s established three production bases -- in Guangzhou, Tianjin in China’s north, and Shanghai -- the company doesn’t have a general car assembly line up and running. Equipment and machinery is still being adjusted, according to people who have seen inside the factories but don’t want to be identified discussing confidential matters.In a response to questions from Bloomberg, Evergrande NEV said it was preparing machinery for trial production, and would be able to make “one car a minute” once full production is reached.The company is targeting mass production and delivery next year of four models -- the Hengchi 5 and 6; the luxe Hengchi 1 (which will go up against Tesla’s Model S); and the Hengchi 3, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has told investors it aims to deliver 100,000 cars in 2022, one of the people said, roughly the number of units Nio, Xpeng Inc. and Li Auto Inc., the other U.S.-listed Chinese EV contender, delivered last year, combined.Its workers are also being asked to help sell real estate, the backbone of the Evergrande empire.New hires are required to undergo internal training and attend seminars that drill them on the company’s property history and have nothing to do with car making. In addition, employees from all departments, from production-line workers to back-office staff, are encouraged to promote the sale of apartments, whether through posting ads on social media or bringing relatives and friends along to sale centers to make them appear busy. Managerial-level staff even have their performance bonuses tied to such endeavors, people familiar with the measure said.Meanwhile, the ambitious targets have Evergrande NEV turning to outsourcing and skipping procedures seen as normal practice in the industry, people with knowledge of the situation say.While it’s hiring aggressively and recently scored Daniel Kirchert, a former BMW executive who co-founded EV startup Byton Ltd., the firm has contracted most of the design and R&D of its cars to overseas suppliers, some of the people said. Contracting out the majority of design and engineering work is an unusual approach for a company wanting to achieve such scale.14 Models At OnceOne of those companies is Canada’s Magna International Inc., which is leading the development of the Hengchi 1 and 3, one of the people said. Evergrande NEV has also teamed with Chinese tech giants Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Baidu Inc. to co-develop a software system for the Hengchi range. It will allow drivers to use a mobile app to instruct the car to drive via autopilot to a certain location and use artificial intelligence to switch on appliances at home while on the road, according to a statement last month.A spokesperson for Evergrande said it was working with international partners including Magna, EDAG Engineering Group AG and Austrian parts maker AVL List GmbH in developing “14 models simultaneously.” Representatives from Magna declined to comment. A Baidu spokesperson said the company had no further details to share, while a representative for Tencent said the software venture is with a related firm called Beijing Tinnove Technology Co. that operates independently. Tinnove didn’t respond to requests for comment.Rather than staggering model releases, Evergrande NEV appears to be rolling out every type of car all at once under its Hengchi brand, which sports a roaring gold lion on the badge and translates loosely to ‘unstoppable gallop.’ The nine models being launched span almost all major passenger vehicle segments from sedans to SUVS and multi-purpose vehicles. Prices will range from about 80,000 yuan ($12,000) to 600,000 yuan, although the final costs could change, a person familiar said.That’s a completely different product development strategy to EV pioneers like Tesla, which only has four models on offer. Nio and Xpeng have also chosen to focus on just a handful of marques, and even then are struggling to break into the black.“The market has proved the effectiveness of the ‘one product in vogue at one time’ strategy,” said Zhang Xiang, an automobile industry researcher at the North China University of Technology. “Evergrande is offering many products and expects a win. There’s a question mark over whether this will work.”Without any long-term carmaking nous, Evergrande has issued uncompromising directives to meet its latest production targets, according to the people. Two models, including the Hengchi 5, a compact SUV that rivals Xpeng’s G3, are targeting mass production in a little over 20 months. To hit that timing, certain industry procedures, like making mule cars, or testbed vehicles equipped with prototype components that require evaluation, may be skipped, people familiar with the situation said. Evergrande told Bloomberg it has entered a “sprint stage toward mass production.”As it is, Bloomberg could only find one instance where the Hengchi 5 has been showcased in public, in photos and grainy footage released by Evergrande in February as the cars drove around a snow-covered field in Inner Mongolia. The company’s shares surged to a record.Glossing over those steps is unusual, said Zhong Shi, a former automotive project manager turned independent analyst.“There’s a standard engineering process of product development, validation and verification, which includes several laboratory and road tests” in China and everywhere else, Zhong said. “It’s hard to compress that to shorter than three years.”While there’s no suggestion Evergrande’s approach violates any regulations, its stock-market run could be in for a reality check. After similarly hefty market gains, some EV startups in the U.S. that have yet to prove their viability as revenue-generating, profitable entities have lost their shine over the past few months amid concern about valuations and as established carmakers like VW move faster into EV fray.Read more: The End of Tesla’s Dominance May Be Closer Than It AppearsThe industry’s multi-billion dollar surge also hasn’t escaped Beijing’s attention. Evergrande NEV shares dipped lower last month after an editorial from the state-run Xinhua news agency highlighted concerns about how the EV sector is evolving. Of particular worry are companies that are shirking their responsibility to build quality cars, a blind race by local governments to attract EV projects, and high valuations by companies that have yet to deliver a single mass-produced car, according to the missive, which named Evergrande specifically in that regard. “The huge gap between production capacity and market value shows there is hype in the NEV market,” it said.Still, Evergrande NEV’s stock has gained 18% since then, buoyed by the outlook for China’s electric-car market. EVs currently account for about 5% of China’s annual car sales, BloombergNEF data show, with demand forecast to soar as the market matures and electric-car prices fall. EV sales in China may climb more than 50% this year alone, research firm Canalys said in a February report.With competition also on the rise, some outside Evergrande NEV’s loyal shareholder base remain skeptical.“The market is getting crowded but unless you have a preferred lane, there’s not much chance to win,” Automobility’s Russo said. “Maybe there’s some synergy with the property businesses but right now it’s an EV story, and a pretty expensive one.”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.
5h ago
Reuters
Australia's Orocobre buying Galaxy for $1.4 billion to create world No.5 lithium miner
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australian lithium miner Orocobre Ltd is buying smaller domestic peer Galaxy Resources for $1.4 billion to create the world's fifth most valuable producer of the key raw material for electric vehicle batteries. The all-stock deal for A$1.78 billion ($1.38 billion)announced on Monday, which will also establish Australia's most valuable lithium miner with a A$4 billion market capitalisation, comes as demand for the material is booming amid a jump in global sales of electric vehicles. The new entity will have hard rock, brine, and chemicals assets across Australia, Argentina, Canada and Japan, and will be able to accelerate development and sell into global markets.
13h ago
Reuters
Chip shortage casts shadow over China's auto industry recovery
SHANGHAI (Reuters) -A global shortage of semiconductors is hitting autos production in China, jeopardising hopes the world's biggest car market might spearhead a recovery in the sector, industry executives warn. Automakers around the world have had to adjust assembly lines due to the shortages, caused by manufacturing delays that some semiconductor makers blame on a faster-than expected recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Volkswagen AG, China's biggest foreign automaker which hopes to sell over four million vehicles in the country, said the situation had not improved in the second quarter.
15h ago
The Telegraph
Biden warned corporate tax plan could backfire
The Biden administration’s plan for a global minimum corporate tax risks backfiring on the US and West as the rise of consumers in India and China shifts sales to Asia, tax experts have warned. The US has proposed a minimum tax based on local sales, but the President has been cautioned that the shrinking influence of the West will mean revenues become concentrated in the developing giants in Asia within decades. Marvin Rust, head of European tax at Alvarez & Marsal, said: “Over time, as the Indians and the Chinese become more wealthy and middle class and their consumption rises, the effect of the policy would be a shift to tax revenues being collected in China and India. “You can see that the Chinese and Indians are not going to want this reversed once their populations become more prosperous… from a Western world perspective, there needs to be a bit of care about this.” The White House is attempting to win support for its plan that will seek to level the playing field in tax and clamp down on avoidance. Many European leaders have also backed the proposals for a global minimum tax on the biggest firms after seeking to clamp down on US tech giants in recent years. Matt Kilcoyne, deputy director of the Adam Smith Institute, said: “The concern is absolutely right, and it highlights well that Yellen is attempting to uphold a world that is rapidly ceasing to exist. Rising non-western states are not going to automatically accept the hegemony of the USA.” He added: “Demanding tax harmonisation risks pushing our old friends and countries we currently have issue with into the arms of one another while diminishing the West.” Economists expect tectonic shifts in the global economy to occur in the next few decades, with developing countries becoming far more powerful and wealthy. China and India’s economies are expected to catch up with the US in size, with Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria also climbing the rankings. The US wants to ramp up taxes on businesses to help pay for a jump in spending with Joe Biden eyeing an infrastructure investment boost. However, its plan may struggle to win the backing of countries that benefit from low business taxes. Bank of America estimates that 60pc of US multinationals’ income was booked in just seven tax havens in 2019, including Ireland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. That has risen sharply from 30pc in 2000.
20h ago
Reuters
Bitcoin slumps 14% as pullback from record gathers pace
Bitcoin was last trading down 10% at $53,991 as of 1320 GMT, a whopping $12,000 below record highs set on Wednesday. Data website CoinMarketCap cited https://coinmarketcap.com/headlines/news/chinas-xinjiang-blackout-and-bitcoin-hashrate-correction-caused-btc-price-crasha blackout in China’s Xinjiang region, which reportedly powers a lot of bitcoin mining, for the selloff. Luke Sully, CEO at digital asset treasury specialist Ledgermatic, said in an email that people "may have sold on the news of the power outage in China and not the impact it actually had on the network".
23h ago
CoinDesk
Bitcoin Stabilizes After Weekend Selloff; Resistance Around $59K
Bitcoin sold off nearly 15% over the weekend and is now oversold on intraday charts.
2h ago
Bloomberg
Coinbase Hangover Rattles Crypto Assets With Bitcoin Falling
(Bloomberg) -- The mania that drove crypto assets to records as Coinbase Global Inc. went public last week turned on itself on the weekend, sending Bitcoin tumbling the most since February.The world’s biggest cryptocurrency plunged as much as 15% on Sunday, just days after reaching a record of $64,870. It subsequently pared some of the losses and was trading at about $57,000 at around 1:25 p.m. in Tokyo Monday.Ether, the second-biggest token, dropped below $2,000 over the weekend before also paring losses. The volatility buffeted Binance Coin, XRP and Cardano too. Dogecoin -- the token started as a joke -- bucked the trend and is up 25% over 24 hours, according to CoinGecko.The weekend carnage came after a heady period for the industry that saw the value of all coins surge past $2.25 trillion amid a frenzy of demand for all things crypto in the runup to Coinbase’s direct listing on Wednesday. The largest U.S. crypto exchange ended the week valued at $68 billion, more than the owner of the New York Stock Exchange.“With hindsight it was inevitable,” Galaxy Digital founder Michael Novogratz said in a tweet Sunday. “Markets got too excited around $Coin direct listing. Basis blowing out, coins like $BSV, $XRP and $DOGE pumping. All were signs that the market got too one way.”Dogecoin, which has limited use and no fundamentals, rallied last week to be worth about $50 billion at one point before stumbling Saturday. Demand was so brisk for the token that investors trying to trade it on Robinhood crashed the site a few times Friday, the online exchange said in a blog post.There was also speculation Sunday in several online reports that the crypto plunge was related to concerns the U.S. Treasury may crack down on money laundering carried out through digital assets. The Treasury declined to comment, and its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) said in an emailed response on Sunday that it “does not comment on potential investigations, including on whether or not one exists.”‘Price to Pay’“The crypto world is waking up with a bit of a sore head today,” said Antoni Trenchev, co-founder of crypto lender Nexo. “Dogecoin’s 100% Friday rally was ‘peak party,’ after the Bitcoin record and Coinbase listing earlier in the week. Euphoria was in the air. And usually in the crypto world, there’s a price to pay when that happens.”Besides the “unsubstantiated” report of a U.S. Treasury crackdown, Trenchev said factors for the declines may have included “excess leverage, Coinbase insiders dumping equity after the direct listing and a mass outage in China’s Xinjiang province hitting Bitcoin miners.”Growing mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrencies has spurred Bitcoin’s rally, as well as lifting other tokens to record highs. Bitcoin’s most ardent proponents see it as a modern-day store of value and inflation hedge, while others fear a speculative bubble is building.Interest in crypto went on the rise again after companies from PayPal to Square started enabling transactions in Bitcoin on their systems, and Wall Street firms like Morgan Stanley moved toward providing access to the tokens to some of the wealthiest clients.VolatilityThat’s despite lingering concerns over their volatility and usefulness as a method of payment. Moreover, governments are inspecting risks around the sector more closely as the investor base widens.Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell last week said Bitcoin “is a little bit like gold” in that it’s more a vehicle for speculation than making payments. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde in January took aim at Bitcoin’s role in facilitating criminal activity, saying the cryptocurrency has been enabling “funny business.”Turkey’s central bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies as a form of payment from April 30, saying the level of anonymity behind the digital tokens brings the risk of “non-recoverable” losses.(Updates prices in the second and third paragraphs.)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.
8h ago
The Telegraph
FTSE holds on to 7,000 points as pound nears $1.39 – live updates
A quarter of employees want to work from home forever FTSE holds on to 7,000 points Pound nears $1.39 Issa brothers seal deal worth up to £100m for food chain Leon Bootle: Covid recovery will bring higher inflation along for the ride Sign up here for our daily business briefing newsletter
15h ago
Bloomberg
Rebound of China’s Yuan Is Facing a $68 Billion Roadblock
(Bloomberg) -- Having rebounded from its worst month since 2019, China’s yuan is facing a new wave of selling pressure as hundreds of companies prepare to exchange the currency to pay dividends.Chinese firms listed in Hong Kong are expected to pay nearly $68 billion in dividends this year, which would be nearly 17% higher than 2020’s amount. That means they’ll step up swapping the yuan for the city’s dollars in coming months.This comes after the yuan rebounded about 0.4% from March’s 1.3% drop, when risk assets were sold off due to a spike in Treasury yields. The payout season, which starts to gather steam this month and is expected to peak in August, will further suppress the currency, in addition to strength in the dollar and a narrowing yield premium over the rest of the world. On top of that, uncertainty over China-U.S. tensions is continuing to hurt sentiment.“Dividend outflows add pressure on the yuan, against the background of brewing U.S.-China tensions.,” said Trang Thuy Le, Asia currency strategist at Macquarie Capital Ltd. in Hong Kong, adding that discussions on the Federal Reserve starting to taper policy could strengthen the greenback in the fourth quarter. “The dollar-yuan rate should largely mirror that path.”More than 400 companies will hand out $65 billion of dividends from April to September alone, with the payment reaching a peak in August at $21 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.Firms are paying more to shareholders in part because they have excess idle cash as they refrain from expansion, and also as they hope to retain investors.To be sure, it’s unlikely the dividend season would lead to any dramatic slide in the currency. That’s because not all of the companies need to sell the yuan in the spot market for the Hong Kong dollar, which they may already own and can be used for dividend payments. Also, the People’s Bank of China won’t likely allow any sharp depreciation, as that may hinder its push to attract foreign inflows and promote the yuan’s global usage.Also, the dollar remains the biggest driver of yuan moves nowadays. Even though banks helped clients sell the currency during last year’s payout season, it gained during the summer amid drops in the greenback.A beneficiary of the move, of course, is the Hong Kong dollar. The currency, which this month fell to a one-year low, will see stronger demand in the coming months. It inched higher to 7.77 per dollar Monday while the onshore yuan fell 0.1% to 6.5256.The largest single sum of dividend payment will hit on Aug. 5, when China Construction Bank Corp. hands $12 billion to its shareholders. And on May 20, China Mobile Ltd. will give out $4.6 billion.(Adds Monday prices in 3rd, 9th 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.
7h ago
Reuters
Gold hits 7-week high on weak dollar, lower yields
Gold scaled a more than seven-week peak on Monday as a softer dollar and lower U.S. Treasury yields lifted the yellow metal's appeal even as the appetite for riskier assets stood strong. Spot gold was up 0.6% at $1,788.31 per ounce by 0904 GMT, its highest since Feb. 25. "The fact that we managed to break above $1,765 and close above on Friday is likely to have attracted some renewed speculative buying from trend and momentum players," Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen said.
10h ago
CoinDesk
Coinbase CEO Sold $291.8M in Shares on Opening Day
The amount represents roughly 1.5% of his holdings.
2d ago
Bloomberg
Harley-Davidson Earnings Beat Estimates; Shares Advance
(Bloomberg) -- Harley-Davidson Inc. reported better-than-expected first-quarter profit and raised a key sales outlook for the year, bolstering Chief Executive Officer Jochen Zeitz’s plans to revive the struggling motorcycle maker.Harley generated adjusted earnings per share of $1.68 in the first three months, almost twice as much as analysts had expected, it said Monday in a statement. The company expects revenue at its motorcycles segment to grow 30% to 35% this year, up from a previous forecast of 20% to 25%, mainly due to a strong recovery in North America.Harley rose 8% in U.S. pre-market trading. The company’s shares have gained 10% this year through Friday.The numbers are good news for Zeitz, who plans to invest more in Harley’s core heavyweight-bike segment -- a category that has been shrinking across the industry -- and set up a standalone electric-motorcycle division. Earlier this month, Harley nominated Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley to join its board.“The actions we have taken to reshape the business are having a positive impact on our results, especially for our most important North American region,” Zeitz said.Harley also said in a separate statement that it will lodge a legal challenge to a European Union ruling that will levy a 56% import tariff on all the company’s products, regardless of origin, starting in June.(Updates with pre-market trading in third 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.
2h ago
Bloomberg
Biden Team Weighs Russia Sanctions Impact, Has More Options
(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration is evaluating the impact of new sanctions on Russia and is prepared to escalate those penalties if the Kremlin fails to rein in hacking attacks and attempts to interfere with the U.S. political process, according to people familiar with the matter.Options available to President Joe Biden include expanding the measures announced Thursday to bar U.S. financial institutions from the secondary market for ruble-denominated bonds issued by Russian state banks, said the people, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.Biden ordered the latest sanctions on Russia -- including limits on buying newly issued sovereign debt -- in response to allegations that Moscow was behind a hack on SolarWinds Corp. and interfered with last year’s U.S. election.The U.S. also sanctioned a number of entities and individuals, while expelling 10 Russian diplomats working in Washington, including some intelligence officers.Yet the moves were calibrated by the U.S. to punish the Kremlin for past misdeeds while keeping relations from deteriorating further, especially as tensions grow over a Russian military buildup near Ukraine.In another sign of worsening relations between the two countries, Russia on Saturday accused a Ukrainian diplomat of stealing information and gave him three days to leave the country on Saturday, the news agency Interfax reported. Ukraine hinted it would respond in kind. Two days before announcing the sanctions, Biden offered to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later this year, even as he warned his counterpart about a litany of transgressions.White House communications staff didn’t immediately offer a comment.For now, U.S. officials are waiting to see how Putin responds. On Friday, Russia expelled 10 American diplomats and imposed sanctions on eight officials in tit-for-tat moves that stopped short of responding to U.S. restrictions on its sovereign debt.Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that Russia could take steps that harm the interests of U.S. businesses but will hold those in reserve for now.Market ImpactThe Biden administration is also watching global markets to see the impact of its latest measures, including on the ruble, and any shifts in foreign ownership of Russian ruble bonds, according to the people. Interest rate decisions by Russia’s central bank and capital flows will also provide important clues, they said.The Bank of Russia’s next interest rate decision is scheduled for April 23.Under the sanctions unveiled Thursday, the Biden administration will bar U.S. financial institutions from participating in the primary market for new debt issued by the Russian central bank, Finance Ministry and sovereign wealth fund. Those limits would take effect starting June 14.Russian bonds fell and the ruble dropped the most since December on news of the impending penalties, but recovered their losses on Friday as investors concluded that the measures were milder than had been feared.White House officials sought to limit the sanctions’ fallout for the U.S. and global financial system while sparing the Russian civilian population from unnecessary harm, the people said. The Biden team now hopes to begin de-escalating tensions and believe that would benefit financial markets and the Russian economy, one of the people said.Still, U.S. officials are holding in reserve other potential escalations, including moves aimed at preventing secondary market trading in any ruble debt for the first 90 days or more after issuance, the person said.(Updates with Russia expelling Ukraine diplomat in 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.
2d ago
CoinDesk
If Bitcoin Starts Closing Below the 50-Day SMA It May Mean Deeper Pullback Ahead
"The loss of bullish momentum is only short-term in nature," one chart analyst said.
18h ago
Reuters
Harley's renewed focus on touring bikes drives upbeat forecast
In February, the motorcycle maker unveiled a new turnaround plan that targets low double-digit earnings growth through 2025. The company said its retail sales, a measure of demand at its dealerships, surged 30% to 32,800 motorcycles in North America in its first quarter. Retail sales in Europe, Harley's second biggest market outside the United States, slumped 36% to 4,900 motorcycles, due to the company's decision to stop selling its smaller and less profitable Street or Sportster motorcycles and shipping delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2h ago
Bloomberg
China Says It Has No Desire to Replace Dollar With Digital Yuan
(Bloomberg) -- China sought to allay fears it wants to topple the dollar as the world’s main reserve currency as Beijing makes bigger strides in creating its own digital yuan.People’s Bank of China Deputy Governor Li Bo said the goal for internationalizing its currency is not to replace the dollar, and the efforts to create a digital yuan are aimed at domestic use.“For the internationalization of the renminbi, we have said many times that it’s a natural process, and our goal is not to replace the U.S. dollar or other international currencies,” Li said on a panel at the Boao forum Sunday. “I think our goal is to allow the market to choose, to facilitate international trade and investment.”China’s central bank is currently testing the use of a “digital yuan” in various pilot programs across the country. A report earlier this week showed the Biden administration is increasing its scrutiny of China’s progress toward the digital yuan amid concern it could kick off a long-term bid to displace the dollar.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 PBOC has moved closer to becoming the first major central bank to launch a virtual currency, rolling out a trial for consumers and businesses in 11 cities across the country.“The motivation for the e-yuan, for now at least, is focusing primarily on domestic use,” Li said. International “interoperability is a very complex issue and we are not in a hurry to reach any particular solution yet,” although there could be cross-border use “in the long term,” Li said.China’s Digital Yuan Won’t Topple Dollar, BOJ Official SaysThe central bank is planning to test the cross-border use of the digital yuan at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where it could be used by both domestic users as well as athletes and visitors from overseas, Li said.Agustin Carstens, general manager of Bank for International Settlements, said on the same panel there was huge potential in the cross-border use of digital currencies as they could make foreign exchange transaction and payment settlement extremely efficient. He said countries can explore various ways to achieve international interoperability, including making different systems compatible and creating connectivity links among the systems.Bahamas Tops China in Ranking of Central Bank Digital CurrenciesWhile the digitization of the yuan could benefit its use in cross-border transactions, the key factor in determining the currency’s global role is whether China will relax its capital controls, said Shen Jianguang, chief economist at JD.com Inc. “If you want to have a global reserve currency, you need to allow foreigners to hold it, to use it.”China will also need to allow its citizens to buy more foreign assets, further develop its financial markets and allow greater exchange rate flexibility in order to push for the internationalization of yuan, Shen said in an interview at the forum.China has seen a flood of capital flows into its financial markets since last year, boosting the amount of yuan traded globally. Yet, in the context of its vast markets, foreign ownership of local stocks and bonds remains relatively low at around 5% and 3% respectively. The yuan’s share of global payments and central bank reserves is still only about 2%.“The digital yuan is a means to help monetary policy efficiency and cross-border usage with partners that tend to trade with China in goods and services, less so the major economies like the U.S.,” said Stephen Chiu, Asia FX and rates strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence. “Digital or not, it’s not so easy to move the dollar’s dominance, be it as a trade settlement or reserve currency.”How China Is Closing In on Its Own Digital Currency: QuickTakeThe initial plans for a digital currency weren’t motivated by considerations of cross-border use, according to former People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan, who noted that there are many issues with using a digital currency across national borders. International use could affect monetary policy independence, and it’s important it isn’t used for crime, he said on the same panel in Boao.(Updates with comments from BIS, details on yuan trade.)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
FX Empire
Price of Gold Fundamental Daily Forecast – Supported by Fed’s Plan to Keep Interest Rates Historically Low
The catalysts behind gold’s strength were a sharp retreat by U.S. Treasury yields on Thursday and a generally softer U.S. Dollar.
2d ago
Bloomberg
China Says It Has No Desire to Replace Dollar With Digital Yuan
(Bloomberg) -- China sought to allay fears it wants to topple the dollar as the world’s main reserve currency as Beijing makes bigger strides in creating its own digital yuan.People’s Bank of China Deputy Governor Li Bo said the goal for internationalizing its currency is not to replace the dollar, and the efforts to create a digital yuan are aimed at domestic use.“For the internationalization of the renminbi, we have said many times that it’s a natural process, and our goal is not to replace the U.S. dollar or other international currencies,” Li said on a panel at the Boao forum Sunday. “I think our goal is to allow the market to choose, to facilitate international trade and investment.”China’s central bank is currently testing the use of a “digital yuan” in various pilot programs across the country. A report earlier this week showed the Biden administration is increasing its scrutiny of China’s progress toward the digital yuan amid concern it could kick off a long-term bid to displace the dollar.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 PBOC has moved closer to becoming the first major central bank to launch a virtual currency, rolling out a trial for consumers and businesses in 11 cities across the country.“The motivation for the e-yuan, for now at least, is focusing primarily on domestic use,” Li said. International “interoperability is a very complex issue and we are not in a hurry to reach any particular solution yet,” although there could be cross-border use “in the long term,” Li said.China’s Digital Yuan Won’t Topple Dollar, BOJ Official SaysThe central bank is planning to test the cross-border use of the digital yuan at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where it could be used by both domestic users as well as athletes and visitors from overseas, Li said.Agustin Carstens, general manager of Bank for International Settlements, said on the same panel there was huge potential in the cross-border use of digital currencies as they could make foreign exchange transaction and payment settlement extremely efficient. He said countries can explore various ways to achieve international interoperability, including making different systems compatible and creating connectivity links among the systems.Bahamas Tops China in Ranking of Central Bank Digital CurrenciesWhile the digitization of the yuan could benefit its use in cross-border transactions, the key factor in determining the currency’s global role is whether China will relax its capital controls, said Shen Jianguang, chief economist at JD.com Inc. “If you want to have a global reserve currency, you need to allow foreigners to hold it, to use it.”China will also need to allow its citizens to buy more foreign assets, further develop its financial markets and allow greater exchange rate flexibility in order to push for the internationalization of yuan, Shen said in an interview at the forum.China has seen a flood of capital flows into its financial markets since last year, boosting the amount of yuan traded globally. Yet, in the context of its vast markets, foreign ownership of local stocks and bonds remains relatively low at around 5% and 3% respectively. The yuan’s share of global payments and central bank reserves is still only about 2%.“The digital yuan is a means to help monetary policy efficiency and cross-border usage with partners that tend to trade with China in goods and services, less so the major economies like the U.S.,” said Stephen Chiu, Asia FX and rates strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence. “Digital or not, it’s not so easy to move the dollar’s dominance, be it as a trade settlement or reserve currency.”How China Is Closing In on Its Own Digital Currency: QuickTakeThe initial plans for a digital currency weren’t motivated by considerations of cross-border use, according to former People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan, who noted that there are many issues with using a digital currency across national borders. International use could affect monetary policy independence, and it’s important it isn’t used for crime, he said on the same panel in Boao.(Updates with comments from BIS, details on yuan trade.)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
USA TODAY
Bitcoin plummets as much as 15% just days after hitting record high
Bitcoin dropped as much as 15% overnight, its biggest intraday drop since February, just days after hitting record highs.
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