The Asia Eight

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

February 16, 2021

1 TOP STORY: Sustainable finance gets a stimulus boost

2 ATF TV: Why China is the only growing major economy

3 NEWS: Movie mania boosts China entertainment stocks

4 ASIA MARKETS: HSI, Nikkei 225 advance; CSI300 closed

5 NEWS: Bitcoin nears $50,000 as Musk sours on altcoin

6 NEWS: Banker named to head Indonesian wealth fund

7 NEWS: French financiers put SPAC plan on world stage

8 ATF BIG PICTURE: Major miner the biggest stock on LSE

01 Top Story Stimulus boost to sustainable finance

The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered a scramble for responsible investing but has also highlighted the lack of standards and regulations on ESG and the need for vigilance on 'greenwashing' – unproven claims that products are environmentally friendly

02 ATF TV Growth alone

Nitin Dialdas, CIO of MDN Capital Venture in Hong Kong, examines the factors that have made China the only growing major economy

03 Holiday cinema boost

Entertainment-related equities soar as cinemagoers help ticket sales reach historic highs despite lingering capacity limits of 50% due to the coronavirus pandemic

04 Asia Markets

HSI advances 1.9% to 30,746.66 and the Nikkei 225 surges 1.3% to 30,467.75. CSI300 closed.

Market Wrap

05 Bitcoin passes $50,000

Premier digicurrency at record but Tesla boss backs offloading his other favourite, dogecoin, saying ‘too much concentration’ of the asset is an issue

06 Banker heads Indon fund

Jokowi ensures nation about integrity of fund and its top execs, after Malaysian 1MDB debacle; INA set up to fund infrastructure projects such as toll roads and new capital planned on Borneo Island; it appears to have $10bn in the pipeline on top of initial seed funding

07 SPACs going global

Europe’s richest person Bernard Arnault and banker Jean-Pierre Mustier are launching a SPAC to target European financial deals; SPACs with a focus on fintech are spreading around the globe with new listing venues and fresh targets

08 ATF Big Picture