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On April 19, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated that Moscow has repeatedly called on Ankara to urge Turkey to compel Kyiv to provide assurances that it will refrain from attacking the infrastructure of the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines.On April 19th, multiple sources disclosed that Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, visited Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, that day. This is Qaanis first overseas trip since Iran and the United States announced a temporary ceasefire earlier this month. Iraqi officials and sources said that Qaanis visit will involve discussions with various Iraqi parties on how to de-escalate the regional conflict and its impact on Iraq. Qaani will meet with Iraqi political leaders and leaders of armed factions to try to coordinate positions among pro-Iranian factions in Iraq and ensure that the security situation in Iraq and the entire region does not deteriorate further during this "sensitive period." Sources indicated that Qaanis visit may also involve efforts to resolve the political deadlock in Iraq caused by the nomination of a new prime minister.Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced today (April 19) that the Office for Attracting Key Enterprises will announce a new batch (the sixth batch) of key enterprises tomorrow. The list includes several companies with market capitalizations exceeding HK$100 billion, covering cutting-edge fields such as life sciences and healthcare, low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence, new energy materials, cross-border financial infrastructure, and fintech. Chan noted that the Office has previously successfully attracted over 100 key enterprises, focusing on life sciences and healthcare, artificial intelligence and data science, fintech, advanced manufacturing and new energy technologies, and cultural and creative industries. These enterprises originate from various regions including Mainland China and Europe and the United States, fully demonstrating Hong Kongs superior business and innovation environment, as well as its attractiveness as a platform connecting Mainland China and the international community.On April 19th, under the unified coordination of the State Administration for Market Regulation, market supervision and public security departments of Shanxi and Sichuan provinces jointly cracked a major criminal network involved in the production and sale of trademark infringement and counterfeit liquor. The operation uncovered seven locations in Lüliang and Taiyuan cities, Shanxi Province, for the production, concealment, packaging, trademark printing, and mailing of illegal products, as well as one online live-streaming sales point. Nearly 20,000 cases of suspected counterfeit liquor, over 700,000 counterfeit packaging materials, 14 pieces of counterfeit manufacturing equipment, and 41 large storage tanks were seized. As of now, the amount involved has been determined to be 260 million yuan. The public security organs have summoned 22 people, taken coercive measures against 11, and transferred 2 for prosecution.On April 19th, my countrys first large-scale application project of hydrogen-blended natural gas, covering 100,000 households, was officially launched in Weifang, Shandong Province. The project utilizes Weifangs existing urban natural gas pipeline infrastructure to achieve stable hydrogen-blended natural gas transmission and distribution. The project covers 100,000 urban households in Weifangs central urban area, comprehensively encompassing various residential gas usage scenarios, including daily life and commercial catering. Residents can use hydrogen-blended natural gas normally without replacing their existing gas appliances. Experts stated that by implementing the "Hydrogen to Every Household" technology demonstration project, the "last mile" of hydrogen energy application in the urban gas sector has been bridged, achieving large-scale, continuous, long-term hydrogen-blended operation for the first time nationwide. The application of hydrogen-blended natural gas has significant demonstration benefits in energy security, green electricity consumption, and energy conservation and emission reduction. Preliminary calculations indicate that if hydrogen is blended at a 10% ratio in national urban gas consumption, it can replace approximately 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, correspondingly reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 30 million tons.

GBP/USD falls to around 1.2370 as the BoE considers taking swift action ahead of UK inflation and US purchasing managers' indices

Alina Haynes

Apr 17, 2023 13:53

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On Monday morning, the GBP/USD currency pair retested an intraday low of 1.2390 after extending Sunday's decline from a 10-month high. To provoke adverse after breaking a four-week uptrend, the Cable pair explains the most recent concerns emanating from the United Kingdom (UK) and the optimism surrounding the Federal Reserve (Fed).

 

According to the Financial Times (FT), "The Bank of England is considering a major overhaul of its deposit guarantee scheme, including increasing the amount covered for businesses and compelling banks to pre-fund the system to a greater extent to ensure faster access to cash when a lender collapses."  The revelation fuels banking concerns in the United Kingdom and places pressure on the Cable duo.

 

UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's concerns about US subsidies may also be exerting downward pressure on the GBP/USD exchange rate as British firms rush to claim benefits before leaving the country. According to the news, "Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warned Sky News that Britain should be wary of any new subsidies, warning that they could undermine the economy and possibly even spark a protectionist trade war."

 

A larger-than-expected decline in US retail sales was unable to offset positive data from US industrial production and the University of Michigan's (UoM) consumer confidence index from the previous day. Despite this, US retail sales decreased by 1.0% in March compared to the predicted -0.4% decline and February's -0.2% decline. As opposed to the 0.2% market consensus and previous reading, Industrial Production increased by 0.4% in the month in question. The preliminary result of the University of Michigan's (UoM) Consumer Confidence Index for April, which increased to 63.5 from 62.0 analysts' expectations and previous readings, was also encouraging. In addition, inflation forecasts for the next year increased from 3.6% in March to 4.6% in April, while inflation forecasts for the next five years decreased by 2.9% during the same month.

 

Notably, Fed officials have recently appeared more hawkish than their BoE counterparts, which has exerted additional pressure on the GBP/USD exchange rate.

 

In this environment, the S&P 500 Futures exhibit modest gains following Wall Street's pessimistic close, while bond yields remain unchanged following weekly increases.

 

Moving forward, the current week is crucial for GBP/USD speculators as it contains a variety of high-quality inflation, employment, and UK PMI data. These data may be used to support the Bank of England's (BoE) officials' waning hawkish inclination and may keep bears in play. However, the US PMIs and Fed discussions should not be disregarded when looking for clear guidelines.

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