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On May 7th, CNBCs Jim Cramer stated on Wednesday that cloud computing giants absolutely cannot skimp on their investment in artificial intelligence (AI). Cramers comments came after some described the surge in data centers and AI-related stocks as a "build it and theyll come" model—companies aggressively investing in infrastructure in the hope of eventually attracting customers. However, Cramer argued that applying this famous line from the movie *What Happens When It Comes* to the AI boom ignores a crucial point: customers already exist, and cloud service providers eager to meet demand are working hard to satisfy it. "The key to this data center boom is that its not a fantasy story, because data centers are being built, customers are actually flocking in, theyve already secured their places, and the momentum is building until every seat is filled," he said. He cited Amazon as an example to demonstrate that a comprehensive AI strategy is no longer just a pipe dream. Cramer quoted Amazons CEO regarding the need for continued investment: "If you dont build this stadium, customers will go elsewhere, and youll miss out on a lot of business opportunities."The Hang Seng Tech Index rose more than 3% intraday, the Hang Seng Index rose 1.54%, Kuaishou (01024.HK) rose more than 7%, Hua Hong Semiconductor (01347.HK) rose more than 6%, and Tencent Music (01698.HK), Kingsoft (03888.HK) and Baidu (09888.HK) all rose more than 5%.On May 7th, according to foreign media reports, Malaysian palm oil futures fell for the second consecutive trading day on Thursday, pressured by weakness in rival edible oils, although stronger crude oil prices limited the decline. The most active palm oil futures contract fell 38 ringgit, or 0.83%, to 4,541 ringgit per metric tonne in early trading. The most actively traded soybean oil contract in Dalian fell 1.43%, and the palm oil contract fell 1.92%. Soybean oil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade fell 0.63%. In early trading, oil prices rose by about $1, rebounding from the previous days plunge, as investors weighed the success of the Middle East peace agreement. Stronger crude oil futures made palm oil a more attractive biodiesel feedstock option. The ringgit, the currency for palm oil, rose 0.26% against the US dollar, making it more expensive for buyers holding foreign currency to purchase palm oil. Analysts say Malaysian palm oil prices could rise by about 12% to 5,200 ringgit per tonne by mid-July, as the war between the US and Israel over Iran has led to higher energy prices, stimulating demand for biodiesel and tightening supply.On May 7th, Bank of America issued a report stating that HSBC Holdings (00005.HK) and Standard Chartered Group (02888.HK) will hold investor seminars in Hong Kong from May 19th to 21st. The report anticipates this event will be a positive catalyst for both banks, as management will showcase strong operating trends in Asia, particularly in wealth management and capital markets. The bank further noted that given HSBC Holdings winning position in the Asian market, its high-quality deposit business, and managements effective strategy execution amplifying its competitive advantage, the bank maintains a positive outlook on HSBC Holdings, giving it a buy rating and a target price of HK$158.25. Additionally, the bank maintains a neutral rating on Standard Chartered UK shares.On May 7th, Citigroup issued a research report stating that CK Hutchison Holdings (00001.HK) announced the sale of its 49% stake in its UK telecommunications joint venture, Vodafone Three, to Vodafone for a cash consideration of £4.3 billion (approximately HK$45.5 billion). The bank believes this sale is a value-added transaction for CK Hutchison, and expects management to continue seeking opportunities to unlock value, which will help narrow the stocks current significant NAV discount of approximately 58%. CK Hutchison expects to record an after-tax gain of approximately HK$4.7 billion upon completion of the transaction. Citigroup points out that the sale price is approximately 9% higher than its valuation of Vodafone Three (approximately HK$41.7 billion) and approximately 13% higher than CK Hutchisons net investment at the end of 2025 (approximately HK$40.1 billion). The bank expects the transaction to be completed as early as the end of 2026. Citigroup accordingly raised its target price for CK Hutchison from HK$78 to HK$81.5 and maintained its buy rating.

EUR/USD Expects Fourth Weekly Gains Above 1.0900 Despite The US Dollar's Rebound Advance Ahead Of US NFP

Daniel Rogers

Apr 07, 2023 11:42

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Despite a recent retreat, the EUR/USD bulls maintain control around 1.0920. This reflects the typical Good Friday inactivity and apprehension ahead of the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report released early in the day. The major currency pair was volatile on Thursday as a result of the US Dollar's initial rebound on fears of a recession, but ended the day unchanged as disappointing US data contrasted with stronger Eurozone data.

 

Fears of a recession in the world's largest economy were prompted by consecutive lackluster US data and falling US Treasury bond yields, giving USD bears a reprieve on Thursday morning. As traders prepared for the all-important NFP, the dollar's subsequent gains were reversed by another disappointing US employment report.

 

Despite this, US Initial Jobless Claims for the week ending March 31 rose to 228K from 200K anticipated and an upwardly revised 246K the prior week. Notable is the increase in Challenger Job Cuts from 77,77K to 89,703K in the given month.

 

Notably, Reuters fanned fears of a recession by citing the most recent decline in the preferred bond market indicator of Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell. The most reliable bond market indicator of an imminent economic contraction, according to Federal Reserve research, is the "near-term forward spread" between the forward rate on Treasury bills 18 months from now and the current yield on three-month Treasury bills.

 

According to Reuters, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva stated in prepared remarks on Thursday that the global economy is projected to expand by less than 3% in 2023, a decrease from 3.4% in 2022.

 

In other news, Germany's Industrial Production (IP) increased 0.6% year-over-year in February, versus market predictions of -2.7% and previous readings of -1.7%. Additionally, the monthly figures exceeded expectations by 0.1%, coming in at 2.0% compared to 3.7% previously. On Wednesday, Germany Factory Orders for February improved to -5.7% YoY from -12.0% previously revised down and -10.5% market expectations, while MoM growth came in at 4.8% compared to 0.3% expected and 0.5% previous readings.

 

Wall Street and US Treasury bond yields have both reduced weekly losses as a result of these strategies, but investors remain skeptical.

 

In the context of less liquidity surrounding the March US employment report, sporadic activity on the major markets can keep the EUR/USD inactive and prone to abrupt price swings. Notable is the fact that recent dovish Fed forecasts and disappointing US data generate expectations for a positive surprise and enormous price volatility thereafter.