Investor reaction to Japan’s election signals at least a temporary reprieve for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi from market ructions that have threatened to undermine her spending plans. Japanese equities surged to fresh record highs on Monday after Takaichi’s party achieved the biggest post-war victory for a single party in a general election. The yen and government bonds stayed noticeably calmer t...
Investor reaction to Japan’s election signals at least a temporary reprieve for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi from market ructions that have threatened to undermine her spending plans. Japanese equities surged to fresh record highs on Monday after Takaichi’s party achieved the biggest post-war victory for a single party in a general election. The yen and government bonds stayed noticeably calmer than many had feared following weeks of volatility fueled by concerns about fiscal sustainability. The response from investors suggested that they are willing to give Takaichi and her Liberal Democratic Party the benefit of the doubt, betting that her super majority will allow for policy clarity and reduce the risk of worst-case fiscal scenarios. “The big election win by the LDP will put wind in the sails of equity markets,” said Frederic Neumann , chief Asia economist at HSBC Holdings Plc, pointing to Takaichi’s strengthened mandate to pursue structural reforms that may lift productivity and corporate profits. “Importantly, a large governing majority should also ensure that fiscal spending remains more restrained, reducing the risk of bond market jitters,” he said. That view is gaining traction among investors who see the outcome as reducing political noise rather than unleashing an immediate spending spree. While longer-tenor Japanese bond yields initially jumped on Monday, they quickly pulled back, easing concerns of a disorderly selloff that fueled a bond rout early this year. The yen also strengthened as much as 0.6% to 156.22 against the greenback, moving further away from the 160-per-dollar zone that has previously drawn Japanese authorities to intervene in the market. Reassurances from policymakers helped steady sentiment. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama emphasized that a proposed consumption tax cut would be limited to two years, apply only to food, and would not be funded through additional debt issuance. Meanwhile, Takaichi stressed that she would conduct a resp...
US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick told US media in September that Taiwan’s chip production should be split ’50-50′ with Washington. (EPA Images pic) TAIPEI : Taiwan’s top tariffs negotiator said it would be “impossible” to shift 40% of its semiconductor production capacity to the US as she rejected claims that the island’s chip industry would relocate. Taiwan is a powerhouse in producing chips ...
US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick told US media in September that Taiwan’s chip production should be split ’50-50′ with Washington. (EPA Images pic) TAIPEI : Taiwan’s top tariffs negotiator said it would be “impossible” to shift 40% of its semiconductor production capacity to the US as she rejected claims that the island’s chip industry would relocate. Taiwan is a powerhouse in producing chips — a critical component in the global economy — but the White House wants more of the technology made in America. Washington agreed in a deal last month to lower tariffs on the island’s goods to 15% from 20%, while Taiwan will increase its investment in the US. US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said last month that Washington wanted to shift up to 40% of Taiwan’s chip supply chain and production to the US, warning tariffs could rise sharply if that did not happen. That came after he told US media in September that Taiwan’s chip production should be split “50-50” with Washington. But in an interview broadcast late Sunday by Taiwanese television channel CTS, vice premier and lead negotiator Cheng Li-chiun said she had made it clear to US officials that Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem would not be relocated. With regards to “40 or 50 percent of production capacity (being) moved to the United States… I have made it very clear to the US side that this is impossible,” Cheng said. She added that Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem was like an “iceberg”, the foundation beneath the water is “enormous”, adding that “an industrial ecosystem built up over decades cannot be relocated.” She said “it will only continue to grow larger”.
Treasuries extended losses after Chinese regulators reportedly asked the nation’s financial institutions to rein in their holdings of US bonds. Yields on 10-year Treasuries rose as much as four basis points on the day to 4.25% after trading around 4.22% earlier. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index dropped 0.1%. Chinese officials had urged banks to limit purchases of US government bonds, and instructed...
Treasuries extended losses after Chinese regulators reportedly asked the nation’s financial institutions to rein in their holdings of US bonds. Yields on 10-year Treasuries rose as much as four basis points on the day to 4.25% after trading around 4.22% earlier. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index dropped 0.1%. Chinese officials had urged banks to limit purchases of US government bonds, and instructed those with high exposure to pare their positions, according to people familiar with the matter. The move was framed around diversifying risk rather than anything to do with geopolitical maneuvering or a fundamental loss of confidence in US creditworthiness. The directive doesn’t apply to China’s state holdings of US Treasuries. This news is “the latest piece in the ‘bye America’ jigsaw puzzle,” said Michael Brown , senior research strategist at Pepperstone Group. It’s in line “with the broader theme that we’ve seen in recent weeks amid not only attacks on the independence of the Fed but also as the Trump administration’s geopolitical polices become increasingly volatile too,” he added. Officials didn’t given any specific target on size or timing. While significant tensions remain between Beijing and Washington, relations have steadied in the wake of a trade truce last year.
The city council said it would be going ahead with a new waste collection regime in the summer, even if industrial action continued. Leader John Cotton recently said putting a timeline on the end of the strike would be foolish as it could not settle on the basis of what Unite has been asking.
The city council said it would be going ahead with a new waste collection regime in the summer, even if industrial action continued. Leader John Cotton recently said putting a timeline on the end of the strike would be foolish as it could not settle on the basis of what Unite has been asking.
DSM-Firmenich AG agreed to sell its animal nutrition and health business to CVC Capital Partners for an enterprise value of about €2.2 billion ($2.6 billion). The Swiss company will retain a 20% stake following the transaction, it said in a statement on Monday. Talks on the deal, which follows the sale of DSM’s feed-enzymes business to Novonesis for €1.5 billion last year, were first reported by B...
DSM-Firmenich AG agreed to sell its animal nutrition and health business to CVC Capital Partners for an enterprise value of about €2.2 billion ($2.6 billion). The Swiss company will retain a 20% stake following the transaction, it said in a statement on Monday. Talks on the deal, which follows the sale of DSM’s feed-enzymes business to Novonesis for €1.5 billion last year, were first reported by Bloomberg News last month. Post these transactions, DSM will turn into a fully consumer-focused company, the company said. DSM is also planning to buy back its ordinary shares with an aggregate market value of €500 million in the first quarter of this year. Amsterdam-listed DSM said in 2024 it was weighing a sale of its animal health business to reduce exposure to a deteriorating vitamin market increasingly dominated by lower-cost Chinese producers. DSM-Firmenich, which has dual headquarters in the Netherlands and Switzerland, was formed in 2023 following the merger of Dutch chemicals company Royal DSM NV and Swiss ingredients maker Firmenich International SA. The combined entity caters to large consumer groups that want ingredient combinations that meet a range of criteria in taste, smell and functionality, as well as beauty companies seeking functional skincare ingredients.
Small Prophets 10pm, BBC Two A sweet, supernatural new sitcom from Mackenzie Crook. Oddball Michael (Pearce Quigley) is Miss Havisham with a beard, living in the house his partner left seven years earlier and never returned to. But his dad, Brian (Michael Palin), who has moved to a care home, says he knows a way to finally find answers – and it involves using a little alchemy to grow homunculi (ti...
Small Prophets 10pm, BBC Two A sweet, supernatural new sitcom from Mackenzie Crook. Oddball Michael (Pearce Quigley) is Miss Havisham with a beard, living in the house his partner left seven years earlier and never returned to. But his dad, Brian (Michael Palin), who has moved to a care home, says he knows a way to finally find answers – and it involves using a little alchemy to grow homunculi (tiny humans). Brian just needs to find the recipe to conjure them up. Hollie Richardson Jamie’s Feasts for a Fiver 8pm, Channel 4 A spin on a classic dessert steals the menu this week: raspberry jam treacle tart, with added crunchy cornflake golden syrup, served with custard. It’s to be enjoyed after another teatime favourite Jamie’s cooking up: toad in the hole. He also invites Patricia Chung to share her fish noodle soup, made with sardine broth and topped with crunchy chana dal. HR Silent Witness 9pm, BBC One An estate agent’s open house goes very badly wrong in the opening to this two-parter. That means a new case and a new city for crime scene investigation’s most glamorous power couple, Nikki (Emilia Fox) and Jack (David Caves). There appears to be a racial dimension to this murder – but appearances can be deceptive. Ellen E Jones Guy Martin’s House Without Bills 9pm, Channel 4 View image in fullscreen Guy explores how to make a semi in Greater Manchester cheaper to heat. Photograph: James Woodroffe/North One TV Energy bills don’t look as if they’ll be falling any time soon, so here’s Guy Martin to test the latest wheezes to curb your usage. In Greater Manchester, a 1930s semi is fitted with insulation, draught-proofing and a heat pump, while a factory nearby makes super-green flatpack houses. Jack Seale A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 9pm, Sky Atlantic So, little Egg (the brilliant Dexter Sol Ansell) is a Targaryen! But can this revelation help Dunk (the very tall Peter Claffey) get out of a sticky situation (read: beating up another, much nastier, Targaryen)? The answe...
There's a new trio of signs that suggest capital is flowing to the chain via a couple of important vehicles. XRP (XRP +2.09%) is suddenly putting up some important numbers that suggest it's finally getting pulled into the institutional financial orbit that its issuer, Ripple, has been targeting for years. Over the last 30 days, the XRP Ledger's (XRPL's) base of real-world assets is moving sharply ...
There's a new trio of signs that suggest capital is flowing to the chain via a couple of important vehicles. XRP (XRP +2.09%) is suddenly putting up some important numbers that suggest it's finally getting pulled into the institutional financial orbit that its issuer, Ripple, has been targeting for years. Over the last 30 days, the XRP Ledger's (XRPL's) base of real-world assets is moving sharply higher, which creates three reasons long-term investors might want to invest $1,000 in XRP. Let's examine them one by one. 1. Managed asset value is rising fast Before we jump in, let's quickly review a pair of key concepts. Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) are traditional financial assets like U.S. Treasury bills and bonds, money market funds, commodities, and stocks that are "tokenized," meaning their ownership claims are represented by tokens on a blockchain. In theory, that can make holding, managing, and transferring them faster, cheaper, and more programmable, and all while still keeping the issuer's stringent regulatory compliance rules intact. When it comes to quantifying those RWAs, there are two kinds. One kind are "represented" assets, which use a blockchain as a database. The other kind, "distributed" assets, are far more interesting, as they denote assets which can actually be transferred using a blockchain in addition to having their properties tracked via a chain's database-like functions. And over the last 30 days, the XRP Ledger's represented real-world asset value rose to reach about $1.4 billion, up roughly 265%. Distributed assets are also up by 8%, reaching $303 million. Expand CRYPTO : XRP XRP Today's Change ( 2.09 %) $ 0.03 Current Price $ 1.44 Key Data Points Market Cap $88B Day's Range $ 1.42 - $ 1.46 52wk Range $ 1.14 - $ 3.65 Volume 3.3B Still, represented growth can be a leading indicator that issuers and platforms are getting comfortable using the ledger for regulated financial instruments. And that's a brand new reason to buy the coin, as the...
Key Points XRP is intended to be a financial tool, and one of its uses is to help manage tokenized assets. A lot more value is now being onboarded to be managed by its ledger. Its financial ecosystem is now growing with gusto. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is suddenly putting up some important numbers that suggest it's finally getting pulled into the institutional financial...
Key Points XRP is intended to be a financial tool, and one of its uses is to help manage tokenized assets. A lot more value is now being onboarded to be managed by its ledger. Its financial ecosystem is now growing with gusto. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is suddenly putting up some important numbers that suggest it's finally getting pulled into the institutional financial orbit that its issuer, Ripple, has been targeting for years. Over the last 30 days, the XRP Ledger's (XRPL's) base of real-world assets is moving sharply higher, which creates three reasons long-term investors might want to invest $1,000 in XRP. Let's examine them one by one. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » 1. Managed asset value is rising fast Before we jump in, let's quickly review a pair of key concepts. Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) are traditional financial assets like U.S. Treasury bills and bonds, money market funds, commodities, and stocks that are "tokenized," meaning their ownership claims are represented by tokens on a blockchain. In theory, that can make holding, managing, and transferring them faster, cheaper, and more programmable, and all while still keeping the issuer's stringent regulatory compliance rules intact. When it comes to quantifying those RWAs, there are two kinds. One kind are "represented" assets, which use a blockchain as a database. The other kind, "distributed" assets, are far more interesting, as they denote assets which can actually be transferred using a blockchain in addition to having their properties tracked via a chain's database-like functions. And over the last 30 days, the XRP Ledger's represented real-world asset value rose to reach about $1.4 billion, up roughly 265%. Distributed assets are also up by 8%, reaching $303 million. Still, repre...