A senior Reserve Bank of India official criticized foreign-exchange market makers for their role in aggravating the rupee’s weakness during the Middle East tensions, as the regulator keeps up its tough messaging stance in its defense of the currency. Addressing an annual foreign exchange dealers’ conference in Paris at the weekend, Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar said the arbitrage between local an...
A senior Reserve Bank of India official criticized foreign-exchange market makers for their role in aggravating the rupee’s weakness during the Middle East tensions, as the regulator keeps up its tough messaging stance in its defense of the currency. Addressing an annual foreign exchange dealers’ conference in Paris at the weekend, Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar said the arbitrage between local and offshore markets strained dollar liquidity at a time when the rupee was under pressure due to large foreign outflows, according to people familiar with the matter. They asked not to be identified as they are not authorized to speak to the media. The central bank did not respond to an email seeking comment outside of regular business hours. Sankar did not reply to a text message seeking comment. Sankar’s comments came two weeks after the RBI clamped down on speculation against the rupee by capping currency bets by banks at $100 million each and barring them from entering derivative contracts in the offshore market. The restrictions forced banks to reverse around $30 billion worth of arbitrage trades under which they had bought dollars in the local market and sold them offshore. In his speech, Sankar signaled the regulator’s displeasure at banks transferring arbitrage trades from their books to corporate clients even though companies are not allowed to undertake such transactions, the people said. The RBI also disapproved of certain other ways in which banks took the trades off their books to reduce their exposure, the people cited Sankar as saying at the conference in Paris. Read more: Biggest Currency Curbs in Years Risk Investor Flight From India Last week, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said arbitrage positions had been building between offshore and local markets toward the end of March. While these linkages were important for efficient price discovery in normal times, excessive volatility and a rapid build-up of positions could be destabilizing, he said. He added the cur...
Tesla (NasdaqGS:TSLA) is reported to be reviving plans for a smaller, more affordable electric SUV aimed at the mass market. The model is expected to allow both driverless and human-driven options, with initial production reportedly considered for China and later other regions. This effort follows an earlier decision to prioritize autonomous projects over lower cost EVs. Supplier activity and indu...
Tesla (NasdaqGS:TSLA) is reported to be reviving plans for a smaller, more affordable electric SUV aimed at the mass market. The model is expected to allow both driverless and human-driven options, with initial production reportedly considered for China and later other regions. This effort follows an earlier decision to prioritize autonomous projects over lower cost EVs. Supplier activity and industry sources suggest development is progressing, despite a formal denial from Tesla...
Based solely on performance, Wall Street has been thrilled to have President Donald Trump in the White House. During Trump's first, non-consecutive term, the mature-stock-driven Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) , benchmark S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , and tech-stock-inspired Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) rallied 57%, 70%, and 142%, respectively. While these major indexes have ...
Based solely on performance, Wall Street has been thrilled to have President Donald Trump in the White House. During Trump's first, non-consecutive term, the mature-stock-driven Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) , benchmark S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) , and tech-stock-inspired Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) rallied 57%, 70%, and 142%, respectively. While these major indexes have risen under most presidents since the late 1890s, the annualized returns under Trump are among the best. President Trump delivering remarks. Image source: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok. Continue reading
Hong Kong and Singapore routinely top global rankings of unaffordable cities. Yet it is the residents of Manila, Colombo and Yangon who are far more likely to tell pollsters they cannot afford shelter. The Philippines recorded the world’s highest share of people reporting difficulty affording housing in a new survey from US-based firm Gallup, with 55 per cent saying they had struggled to pay for s...
Hong Kong and Singapore routinely top global rankings of unaffordable cities. Yet it is the residents of Manila, Colombo and Yangon who are far more likely to tell pollsters they cannot afford shelter. The Philippines recorded the world’s highest share of people reporting difficulty affording housing in a new survey from US-based firm Gallup, with 55 per cent saying they had struggled to pay for shelter in the past 12 months. Sri Lanka followed at 54 per cent, Myanmar at 49 per cent and Thailand...