The Asia Eight

Daily must-reads from the world’s most dynamic region

January , 2021

1 TOP STORY: NYSE delisting chaos raises questions

2 NEWS: IMF urges more stimulus to beat pandemic

3 ATF TV: What does the future hold for the yuan?

4 ASIA MARKETS: HSI falls; CSI300, Nikkei 225 climb

5 NEWS: Taipei worries as TWD rises to 23-year high

6 NEWS: SK Group buys $1.5bn stake in US hydrogen firm

7 COMMENT: Mob won't stop traders set for Blue Wave

8 ATF BIG PICTURE: SPACs and PE - an inseparable pair

01 Top Story Delisting fiasco has implications

The New York Stock Exchange confirms the delisting of three Chinese telcos will proceed after days of bewildering twists; other exchanges and index providers will face similar tests even after Trump leaves office; Alibaba and Tencent also under threat in the near-term

02 IMF: More aid needed

Gita Gopinath says US and Japanese rebounds may prompt upgrade of forecasts, as the global economy has started 2021 in a stronger position than previously anticipated

03 ATF TV Future of the Chinese currency

BNP Paribas head of emerging-market fixed income Jean-Charles Sambor relates his forecast for the yuan in 2021 on ATF TV

04 Asia Markets

HSI falls 0.5% to 27,548.52; CSI300 adds 0.7% to 3,576.20 and Nikkei 225 rises 1.6% to 27,490.13

Market Wrap

05 Strong TWD concern

The Taiwan dollar is at a more than 23-year high against the greenback, which has unnerved a government wary of being labelled a currency manipulator by Washington

06 SK buys H-firm stake

Agreement to supply Asian markets comes at a time of brisk demand for clean energy, signalling the region's gradual shift from polluting fossil fuels in the coming years

07 Comment

"This is the first time in 10 years where Democrats will control the House, Senate, and the White House. This means a strong possibility of bills getting passed by lawmakers. The chaos we saw yesterday has halted the electoral vote count... but the outcome is going to be the same, which is the Blue Wave, and traders are very positioned for this."

Naeem Aslam at AvaTrade

08 The ATF Big Picture SPACs and private equity