Latest news with #currencypeg
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
When pegs fly: Trump-induced turbulence hits Hong Kong dollar, interest rates
By Rae Wee and Jiaxing Li SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic policies are rattling a currency peg that has withstood the test of time and is seen as an anchor for China and Asia. The Hong Kong dollar has whipsawed from one end of its narrow trading band to the other versus the greenback in just a month. While the latest volatility is not seen as a threat to the four-decade-old peg, the it has had a dramatic impact on interest rates, providing a challenging environment for businesses and investors in the financial hub. The stress on one of the world's best-known currency pegs underscores how volatility in the U.S. dollar under Trump is disrupting even the most stable corners of the market. Interest rates in Hong Kong have tended to move in lockstep with the United States, keeping the Hong Kong dollar - which trades between 7.75 and 7.85 per U.S. dollar - relatively stable. But they have decoupled over the past month as global investors cooled on U.S. assets and fretted about Washington's growing debt pile, while massive capital entered Hong Kong as foreigners flocked to blockbuster share offerings. Chinese investors have also ploughed record amounts of money into Hong Kong-listed stocks. "The pace and speed of inflow was quite surprising," said Raymond Yeung, ANZ's chief economist for Greater China. The volatility forced the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city's de-facto central bank, to intervene in the foreign exchange market four times in May as the Hong Kong dollar bumped up against the strong end of its trading band. That caused borrowing costs in Hong Kong to plunge to record lows, tempting speculators to short-sell the currency and drive it swiftly to 7.85, the weak end of the band. As Hong Kong rates fell, the gap between U.S. three-month rates and the benchmark in Hong Kong hit a record high last week, based on LSEG data stretching back to 2020. Spreads across other tenors similarly widened. Analysts say it is normal to see an occasional deviation in rates between the Hong Kong dollar and U.S. dollar, but the abrupt moves seen in recent weeks are worrisome for businesses and investors - especially given disruptions to global trade and other uncertainty. "If the gap closes abruptly, then firms and households and the financial system in Hong Kong might suffer from a large interest rate shock, which is not good for financial stability," ANZ's Yeung said. Hong Kong officials have sought to reassure markets that the peg is here to stay, and that despite the increased volatility, there are some benefits to the current low level of rates. The city's leader John Lee told SCMP in an interview published on Monday that the city will maintain its currency's peg to the dollar. HKMA chief Eddie Yue noted the impact of lower interest rates on individuals and corporates would vary, depending on their relative positions in bank deposits and borrowings. "However, looking at it through a macroeconomic lens, lower interest rates should be beneficial to the current economic environment of Hong Kong," he said in a blog post. Lower mortgage rates seem to have helped the economy's flagging property market, with home prices edging up in April to end four months of decline. The government too has used the opportunity to access cheaper borrowing for longer. It issued 30-year bonds, its longest tenor debt, for the first time last month. "It's a good time for Hong Kong to lock in the low funding," said Lei Zhu, head of Asian fixed income at Fidelity International. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
When pegs fly: Trump-induced turbulence hits Hong Kong dollar, interest rates
SINGAPORE/HONG KONG, June 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic policies are rattling a currency peg that has withstood the test of time and is seen as an anchor for China and Asia. The Hong Kong dollar has whipsawed from one end of its narrow trading band to the other versus the greenback in just a month. While the latest volatility is not seen as a threat to the four-decade-old peg, the it has had a dramatic impact on interest rates, providing a challenging environment for businesses and investors in the financial hub. The stress on one of the world's best-known currency pegs underscores how volatility in the U.S. dollar under Trump is disrupting even the most stable corners of the market. Interest rates in Hong Kong have tended to move in lockstep with the United States, keeping the Hong Kong dollar - which trades between 7.75 and 7.85 per U.S. dollar - relatively stable. But they have decoupled over the past month as global investors cooled on U.S. assets and fretted about Washington's growing debt pile, while massive capital entered Hong Kong as foreigners flocked to blockbuster share offerings. Chinese investors have also ploughed record amounts of money into Hong Kong-listed stocks. "The pace and speed of inflow was quite surprising," said Raymond Yeung, ANZ's chief economist for Greater China. The volatility forced the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city's de-facto central bank, to intervene in the foreign exchange market four times in May as the Hong Kong dollar bumped up against the strong end of its trading band. That caused borrowing costs in Hong Kong to plunge to record lows, tempting speculators to short-sell the currency and drive it swiftly to 7.85, the weak end of the band. As Hong Kong rates fell, the gap between U.S. three-month rates and the benchmark in Hong Kong hit a record high last week, based on LSEG data stretching back to 2020. Spreads across other tenors similarly widened. Analysts say it is normal to see an occasional deviation in rates between the Hong Kong dollar and U.S. dollar, but the abrupt moves seen in recent weeks are worrisome for businesses and investors - especially given disruptions to global trade and other uncertainty. "If the gap closes abruptly, then firms and households and the financial system in Hong Kong might suffer from a large interest rate shock, which is not good for financial stability," ANZ's Yeung said. Hong Kong officials have sought to reassure markets that the peg is here to stay, and that despite the increased volatility, there are some benefits to the current low level of rates. The city's leader John Lee told SCMP in an interview published on Monday that the city will maintain its currency's peg to the dollar. HKMA chief Eddie Yue noted the impact of lower interest rates on individuals and corporates would vary, depending on their relative positions in bank deposits and borrowings. "However, looking at it through a macroeconomic lens, lower interest rates should be beneficial to the current economic environment of Hong Kong," he said in a blog post. Lower mortgage rates seem to have helped the economy's flagging property market, with home prices edging up in April to end four months of decline. The government too has used the opportunity to access cheaper borrowing for longer. It issued 30-year bonds, its longest tenor debt, for the first time last month. "It's a good time for Hong Kong to lock in the low funding," said Lei Zhu, head of Asian fixed income at Fidelity International.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
When pegs fly: Trump-induced turbulence hits Hong Kong dollar, interest rates
By Rae Wee and Jiaxing Li SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic policies are rattling a currency peg that has withstood the test of time and is seen as an anchor for China and Asia. The Hong Kong dollar has whipsawed from one end of its narrow trading band to the other versus the greenback in just a month. While the latest volatility is not seen as a threat to the four-decade-old peg, the it has had a dramatic impact on interest rates, providing a challenging environment for businesses and investors in the financial hub. The stress on one of the world's best-known currency pegs underscores how volatility in the U.S. dollar under Trump is disrupting even the most stable corners of the market. Interest rates in Hong Kong have tended to move in lockstep with the United States, keeping the Hong Kong dollar - which trades between 7.75 and 7.85 per U.S. dollar - relatively stable. But they have decoupled over the past month as global investors cooled on U.S. assets and fretted about Washington's growing debt pile, while massive capital entered Hong Kong as foreigners flocked to blockbuster share offerings. Chinese investors have also ploughed record amounts of money into Hong Kong-listed stocks. "The pace and speed of inflow was quite surprising," said Raymond Yeung, ANZ's chief economist for Greater China. The volatility forced the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city's de-facto central bank, to intervene in the foreign exchange market four times in May as the Hong Kong dollar bumped up against the strong end of its trading band. That caused borrowing costs in Hong Kong to plunge to record lows, tempting speculators to short-sell the currency and drive it swiftly to 7.85, the weak end of the band. As Hong Kong rates fell, the gap between U.S. three-month rates and the benchmark in Hong Kong hit a record high last week, based on LSEG data stretching back to 2020. Spreads across other tenors similarly widened. Analysts say it is normal to see an occasional deviation in rates between the Hong Kong dollar and U.S. dollar, but the abrupt moves seen in recent weeks are worrisome for businesses and investors - especially given disruptions to global trade and other uncertainty. "If the gap closes abruptly, then firms and households and the financial system in Hong Kong might suffer from a large interest rate shock, which is not good for financial stability," ANZ's Yeung said. Hong Kong officials have sought to reassure markets that the peg is here to stay, and that despite the increased volatility, there are some benefits to the current low level of rates. The city's leader John Lee told SCMP in an interview published on Monday that the city will maintain its currency's peg to the dollar. HKMA chief Eddie Yue noted the impact of lower interest rates on individuals and corporates would vary, depending on their relative positions in bank deposits and borrowings. "However, looking at it through a macroeconomic lens, lower interest rates should be beneficial to the current economic environment of Hong Kong," he said in a blog post. Lower mortgage rates seem to have helped the economy's flagging property market, with home prices edging up in April to end four months of decline. The government too has used the opportunity to access cheaper borrowing for longer. It issued 30-year bonds, its longest tenor debt, for the first time last month. "It's a good time for Hong Kong to lock in the low funding," said Lei Zhu, head of Asian fixed income at Fidelity International.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Hong Kong's leader says to maintain US dollar peg, despite geopolitical tensions
June 9 (Reuters) - Hong Kong will maintain its currency peg to the U.S. dollar, the financial hub's leader said in an interview published on Monday, despite escalating geopolitical tensions and some calls to shift to a Chinese yuan peg. The Hong Kong dollar has experienced sharp volatility over the past two months, strengthening to hit the strong end of the trading band and prompting the city's de-facto central bank to forcefully step up intervention, before the currency softened to near the weaker limit in recent sessions. "Hong Kong's link with the U.S. dollar has proven to be one of the fundamental success factors," John Lee told the South China Morning Post, noting the peg had always come under pressure, especially in uncertain times. In order to defend the currency's peg to move within 7.75 and 7.85 per U.S. dollar range, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority injected HK$129.4 billion into the market to purchase $16.7 billion worth of U.S. dollars in multiple interventions last month. Some market watchers have called for switching Hong Kong's U.S. dollar peg to the yuan at a time when trade tensions between the world's two largest economies have created uncertainty. Lee said his administration would strengthen the city's role as the global offshore yuan hub, while continuing to defend the U.S. dollar peg. "We will do more (offshore yuan) product diversification, so that it will generate more trade," he told the newspaper, noting that about 80% of the offshore yuan payments were processed in Hong Kong.
South China Morning Post
18 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's US-dollar peg a key success factor and will stay: John Lee
Hong Kong will maintain its currency's peg to the US dollar, the city's leader has said, identifying it as a key success factor and rejecting calls to abandon the link amid escalating geopolitical tensions. But this did not mean the city was solely reliant on the peg for its financial system, and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu pledged to strengthen Hong Kong's dominant role as a global offshore renminbi business centre, promising more product diversification. Lee's reassurance came after multiple interventions by the city's de facto central bank recently to defend the peg as the Hong Kong dollar hit the higher end of its trading band, triggered by equity investment activities and the appreciation of regional currencies against the US dollar. 'Hong Kong's link with the US dollar has proven to be one of the fundamental success factors,' he told the Post in an interview, noting the peg had always come under pressure, especially in uncertain times. In a series of interventions last month, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) spent HK$129.4 billion to buy US$16.7 billion worth of US dollars to weaken the local currency, which had hit the strong end of its trading band. 22:27 Why Hong Kong will remain a free port regardless of Donald Trump's tariffs Why Hong Kong will remain a free port regardless of Donald Trump's tariffs The move came amid a wave of capital inflows, driven by increased investor interest in Hong Kong stocks and steady southbound buying from mainland Chinese investors via the Stock Connect mechanism.
