Today's Market Focus: Multiple Fed Officials Voice Continued Calls for Rate Hikes

Market Review

Key Headlines

Chinese Market

1. China's Central Bank's Foreign Exchange Reserves Fell by 0.44% at the End of October

Due to the combined effects of exchange rate conversion and Huainan foreign exchange collapseasset price changes, China’s foreign exchange reserves decreased in October, while gold reserves rose for the twelfth consecutive month. According to statistics from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, by the end of October 2023, China's foreign exchange reserves amounted to $3,101.22 billion, a decrease of $13.85 billion from the end of September, a fall of 0.44%. By the end of October, gold reserves reported at 71.2 million ounces (approximately 2214.57 tons), an increase of 0.74 million ounces (about 23.02 tons) from the previous month, marking an increase for the twelfth consecutive month, totaling an increase of 8.56 million ounces.

2. Four Ministries Jointly Understand the Financing Needs of Real Estate Enterprises

The People's Bank of China, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Financial Regulatory Authority, and the Securities Regulatory Commission collectively convened a discussion with several real estate enterprises to understand the industry's financial situation and corporate financing needs. The participating companies included Vanke, Poly, China Resources, China Overseas, Longfor, and Gemdale. Additionally, the People's Bank of China actively implemented the spirit of the Central Financial Work Conference, continuously pushing to support private real estate enterprises' bond financing with the "second arrow". Recently, the "second arrow" will support bond financing issuance by private real estate enterprises such as XinCheng Holdings, Midea Real Estate, and Excellence Commercial Management, while bond issuance projects for several private real estate enterprises like Longfor, Jinhui, Huayu, and New Hope Real Estate are steadily progressing.

3. National Development and Reform Commission Ensures the Construction of a Unified National Market

The National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation held a meeting to advance the construction of a unified national market. The meeting underscored that accelerating the construction of a unified national market is a fundamental support for building a new development pattern and a practical requirement for promoting sustained and stable economic recovery. It is imperative to further raise awareness, fulfill responsibilities, implement tasks item by item, and ensure actions are quick, measures are effective, and outcomes are positive.

Overseas Market

1. Israeli Prime Minister Says Israel Will “Take Responsibility” for Security in Gaza Strip

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, in an interview with the media, stated that Israel would "take full responsibility" for the security of the Gaza Strip indefinitely after ending the conflict with the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). Israel has vowed to oust Hamas and destroy its military strength, but neither Israel nor its ally the United States has specified any subsequent plans. Netanyahu's statement is, to date, the clearest message from Israel that it will maintain control over the Gaza Strip after the conflict.

2. Australia’s Central Bank Raises Interest Rates for the First Time Since June

The Reserve Bank of Australia (central bank) decided to address ongoing inflation issues by raising the benchmark interest rate from 4.1% to 4.35%. Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock mentioned this was her first time raising the cash rate since taking office, and the bank must do its utmost to tackle inflation. Bullock pointed out that inflation in Australia remains at an excessively high level, more persistent than expected a few months ago.

3. Several Federal Reserve Officials Express Opinions on Continuing Rate Hikes

Multiple Federal Reserve officials have expressed that the call for interest rate hikes continues, closely monitoring the U.S. Treasury yield and unanimously viewing inflation as too high. Federal Reserve Governor Bowman and Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari both made hawkish remarks, mentioning that the Federal Reserve might still raise rates in the future. This has pushed the dollar up and put pressure on commodity prices such as crude oil and gold. The officials commonly stated that inflation remains too high, and combating inflation is a top priority. Several referenced the rise in bond market yields leading to a tightening financial environment.

4. Coworking Giant WeWork Files for Bankruptcy Protection

WeWork, once hailed as a unicorn with a valuation of $47 billion, has formally filed for bankruptcy in the United States to rid itself of the massive debts and heavy lease obligations accumulated due to huge losses in recent years. WeWork CEO David Tolley stated that about 90% of its creditors have agreed to convert their claims into equity, eliminating about $3 billion of the company's debt. The WeWork bankruptcy case is considered one of the most severe corporate collapses in the United States in recent years.

Today's Focus

Today, investors should pay attention to economic data such as New Zealand's inflation expectations, Germany's CPI, France's trade balance, Eurozone retail sales, and the US IPSOS main consumer sentiment index. In addition, investors should also closely monitor risk events such as the Palestinian-Israeli situation, the EIA Energy Outlook report, and speeches by officials from the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve.

The market carries risks, and investment should be cautious. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and has not taken into account individual users' specific investment goals, financial situations, or needs. Users should consider whether any opinions, viewpoints, or conclusions in this article are suitable for their particular circumstances. Investing based on this is at one's own responsibility.