https://www.scmp.com/rss/330634/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com National security is front and centre in China’s vast new economy-boosting infrastructure investment plan that analysts say is motivated in large part by a rapid deterioration in domestic conditions and the overseas environment. The top-level plan, unveiled on Tuesday, is also being viewed as a departure from last year, when Beijing underscored the importance of financial risk controls. “We must strengthen the construction of national-security-related infrastructure to improve our capacity to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3175723/chinas-big-new-infrastructure-plan-prioritises-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3175723/chinas-big-new-infrastructure-plan-prioritises-national?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:00:14 +0000 Real estate investment trusts (Reits) are becoming China’s latest stock market darlings, as investors whiplashed by roller-coaster rides in the equity market seek buffers that still deliver consistent returns in the industry. The 11 pioneer infrastructure-backed Reits traded in Shenzhen and Shanghai have risen by 30 per cent on average since their debuts from as early as June last year. That included a 5.2 per cent advance this year, while benchmark stock indices in Shanghai and Hong Kong fell... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3174768/reits-are-chinas-latest-market-darlings-quality-income?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3174768/reits-are-chinas-latest-market-darlings-quality-income?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Apr 2022 09:22:39 +0000 Dividend payments by onshore Chinese companies have risen over 150 per cent in the past decade, as investors value steady returns amid market volatility while firms use it to counter drop in share prices, according to an S&P Global Market Intelligence study released on Thursday. The total dividend payout amount by companies in the CSI 300, which tracks the biggest stocks in Shenzhen and Shanghai, is set to exceed 1 trillion yuan (US$157.2 billion) for financial year 2021 for the first time, up... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3173460/chinese-firms-csi-300-index-pay-record-us1572-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3173460/chinese-firms-csi-300-index-pay-record-us1572-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Apr 2022 11:04:17 +0000 Risk and profit potential should be commensurate. So-called blank-cheque companies, or special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) that have been all the rage on Wall Street, offer high risk and high rewards. However, they may not be suitable for retail investors. Hong Kong is a latecomer to the SPAC game, but this also means the city has much tougher measures in place to contain the risk and shield novice investors. Regulations now clearly stipulate a timeline for completion of mergers,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3173185/better-safe-sorry-hong-kongs-spac-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3173185/better-safe-sorry-hong-kongs-spac-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Apr 2022 00:00:18 +0000 In 2018, Charles Beamish founded Beamish International, a private client advisory business for those wanting to invest in, collect, gift or consume the finest rare single malt whiskies. He also advises on the acquisition, disposal and verification of collections, and organises travel to iconic Scottish distilleries. Beamish has built a team of respected industry professionals, including world renowned expert Charles MacLean; Jeremy Parsons, formerly CEO of Berry Brothers & Rudd; Alan Wong,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3170409/whisky-investment-advisor-charles-beamish-lessons-distilled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3170409/whisky-investment-advisor-charles-beamish-lessons-distilled?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2022 02:00:20 +0000 Wealthy investors in Asia-Pacific are expected to step up their investments in private markets over the next three years to bolster returns as a myriad of economic and geopolitical risks hobbled publicly traded assets. Their bets in the sphere are expected to compound at 26 per cent annually through 2025, according to a study published by Boston Consulting Group and fintech company iCapital. That is faster than the 16 per cent forecast for North America and the 13 per cent seen happening in... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3169242/wealthy-investors-asia-pacific-spearhead-bets-private?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3169242/wealthy-investors-asia-pacific-spearhead-bets-private?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Mar 2022 02:00:20 +0000 Gold prices are likely to test the record set in 2020 as heightened geopolitical tensions over a Ukraine invasion, runaway global inflation and stock market volatility fanned demand for safe haven assets, according to State Street Global Advisors (SSGA). The yellow metal climbed to an eight-month high of US$1,940 per ounce on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into two breakaway regions in Ukraine. Spot gold soared to US$2,035 in August 2020 as the pandemic sparked... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3168194/gold-within-sight-us2035-record-amid-looming-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3168194/gold-within-sight-us2035-record-amid-looming-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Feb 2022 06:03:17 +0000 CSOP Asset Management’s Metaverse Concept ETF will begin trading in the Hong Kong stock market on Monday, becoming the first publicly traded portfolio to help investors pick winning stocks in the next generation of the web. The exchange-traded fund (ETF)’s current portfolio comprises 46 US-listed technology stocks with US$5.2 trillion in combined capitalisation, including Apple, Facebook’s parent Meta, WeChat’s operator Tencent Holdings, the 3D graphics processor maker Nvidia and the online... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3167706/metaverse-investment-enters-mainstream-csops-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3167706/metaverse-investment-enters-mainstream-csops-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Feb 2022 05:45:16 +0000 Most real estate funds that operate in Asia-Pacific will maintain or increase the number of staff they employ in the coming year, according to a joint study by accounting firm PwC and the Asian Association for Investors in Non-listed Real Estate Vehicles Limited (Anrev). A follow up to a survey conducted in 2017, the latest study found that 42 per cent of respondents are planning to increase their headcount in 2022. Adding in those that intend to keep their current staffing levels, the number... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3159983/property-investment-funds-look-ramp-staff-asia-pacific-next-year-optimism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3159983/property-investment-funds-look-ramp-staff-asia-pacific-next-year-optimism?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Dec 2021 23:30:18 +0000 Confidence about personal finances is growing among affluent Hongkongers, according to a survey by US brokerage Charles Schwab, with respondents turning to more aggressive investment strategies as the economy recovers from the pandemic-induced recession. An index tracking the financial well-being of this group of “rising affluent” has been steadily increasing since 2019 based on a set of criteria, the survey published on Tuesday showed, while a confidence sub-index reached the highest level in... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-products/article/3159713/financial-confidence-improving-among-rising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-products/article/3159713/financial-confidence-improving-among-rising?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Dec 2021 22:30:21 +0000 Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track crude oil futures have been the top performers this year compared to other financial instruments, most of them returning over 40 per cent since January, as a supply crunch kept spot prices ahead of futures. Investors have sold and took profit on the two crude oil ETFs in Hong Kong and four in mainland China with US$430 million in combined assets, riding on this year’s rebound in oil prices that reached seven-year highs several times. ETF managers gained... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3158894/oil-etfs-are-roll-energy-crunch-helps-exchange-traded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3158894/oil-etfs-are-roll-energy-crunch-helps-exchange-traded?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Dec 2021 00:30:17 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal About a third of Hong Kong residents have invested in, or used, cryptocurrency as a medium of exchange, the second-highest engagement with the new asset class among developed markets surveyed by credit card company Visa. Crypto or cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency secured by cryptography and is also used to buy products and services, but is not backed by a government authority, which potentially makes it a risky asset class. The study found that 18 per cent of Hongkongers are... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/article/3158945/hongkongers-are-among-worlds-biggest-investors-cryptocurrencies-visa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/article/3158945/hongkongers-are-among-worlds-biggest-investors-cryptocurrencies-visa?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Dec 2021 23:30:22 +0000 While the Biden administration is launching antitrust initiatives to promote competition, China has been reining in corporate giants in some sectors. These checks on corporate dominance on both sides of the Pacific may appear similar on the surface but the underlying drivers are quite different. They reflect fundamentally distinct relationships between the state and the market. Antitrust regulations in the US, since Woodrow Wilson’s time, have aimed to safeguard the interests of consumers and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3144393/how-us-china-rivalry-shapes-regulatory-crackdown-both-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3144393/how-us-china-rivalry-shapes-regulatory-crackdown-both-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Aug 2021 19:30:16 +0000 Florian Leonhard, who is an antique violin restorer, authenticator and dealer, recently sold a musical instrument to a new client in Beijing, one of just four sales he’s made over the last year. If that sounds like a bad business to be in, the instrument in question was a Stradivarius violin, and it likely cost around US$15 million. Why such a high price? Because antique stringed instruments – violins, violas, cellos – have become a hot investment. The same violin might have sold for around US$2... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3143167/stradivarius-violins-gibson-les-paul-antique?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3143167/stradivarius-violins-gibson-les-paul-antique?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jul 2021 07:58:17 +0000 Few things the Hong Kong government offers the public are as popular as inflation-linked iBonds. Faced with rising consumer prices, long-suffering savers have predictably flocked to the latest offering, now raised to HK$20 billion (US$2.58 billion) due to oversubscription. The government-issued debt is about as safe as an investment can get in the city, in an environment of near-zero interest rates. It offers an alternative to speculating in stocks and property, with both showing signs of froth.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3137389/city-savers-would-welcome-regular-offerings-ibonds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3137389/city-savers-would-welcome-regular-offerings-ibonds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:42:07 +0000 Tencent Holdings and its biggest shareholder, Prosus, are investing in European online-trading group BUX, giving the two internet giants a greater foothold in the fast-growing sector. Tencent, operator of Chinese super app WeChat, and Netherlands-based Prosus led a funding round of US$80 million that BUX will use to expand its zero-commission investment platform, BUX chief executive Yorick Naeff said in an interview. The Amsterdam-based company will also hire more staff, especially software... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3130679/tencent-makes-new-overseas-fintech-foray-joining-biggest-shareholder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3130679/tencent-makes-new-overseas-fintech-foray-joining-biggest-shareholder?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Apr 2021 11:26:02 +0000 Warren Buffett is a legendary investor, leads one of the world’s biggest companies, and has ranked among the world’s wealthiest people for decades. Yet he earns a modest annual salary of US$100,000 – and hasn’t had a pay rise in 40 years, US government filings show. As Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO and chairman, Buffett recommends to his board of directors how much he should be paid, and decides the rest of the executives’ compensation. The 90-year-old has received US$100,000 a year since 1980 – a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3126736/does-warren-buffett-deserve-pay-rise-berkshire-hathaway-ceos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3126736/does-warren-buffett-deserve-pay-rise-berkshire-hathaway-ceos?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Mar 2021 04:25:24 +0000 Cathie Wood’s exchange-traded funds extended their losses Monday, signaling no immediate end to the selloff that has wiped 25 per cent from her flagship investing strategy over three turbulent weeks. That’s the longest stretch of weekly losses for the Ark Innovation ETF since the Covid-spurred meltdown last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The fund fell for a fifth straight day, losing 5.8 per cent, with other products from Wood’s Ark Investment Management falling in... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3124634/cathie-wood-force-behind-teslas-soaring-stock-price-having?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3124634/cathie-wood-force-behind-teslas-soaring-stock-price-having?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Mar 2021 03:00:14 +0000 Claw machines are everywhere in Taiwan, but they’re not just for fun. Some people see them as an investment strategy. But when will the bubble burst? https://www.scmp.com/videos/why-taiwan-obsessed-claw-machines/article/3000249?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/why-taiwan-obsessed-claw-machines/article/3000249?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Nov 2018 09:54:53 +0000