Kaohoon Morning Brief – 20 October 2021
Morning brief of major stories since the closing of Thai stock market on 20 October 2021.
1) IMF downgraded Asia GDP growth from 7.6% to 6.5% in 2021
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded Asia’s economic growth in 2021 to 6.5%, compared to the previous forecast for a 7.6% expansion. The downgrade came after a spike of Covid-19 delta variants in some parts of the region. Still, the IMF stated that despite the downgrade, Asia would remain the fastest-growing region in the world this year.
2) Europe energy crunch continues as Russia remains put
European countries would continue facing tight energy supplies as the auction results showed that Russia’s state gas giant Gazprom did not book additional gas transit capacity for November in any pipeline that would go to western Europe.
3) ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF rose 4.8% on the first day in NYSE
The ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF rose 4.8% to close at $41.94 on its first trading day in the New York Stock Exchange on October 19, 2021. ProShares is the world’s first ETF on bitcoin futures.
4) China’s central bank injects 100 billion yuan through reverse repos
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on Wednesday increased its short-term fund injection by offering 100 billion yuan through seven-day reverse repos into the banking system for liquidity.