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Why China’s central bank is shoring up the yuan
World

Why China’s central bank is shoring up the yuan

In this article CNY= .DXY The Chinese yuan has tumbled to two-year lows against the U.S. dollar in the last few weeks. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images watch now Tensions between the U.S. and China have escalated in the last several years, resulting in tariffs and sanctions on Chinese tech companies. Meanwhile, China's economic growth has slowed in the last three years, especially with the shock of the pandemic in 2020. Tighter Covid controls this year, including a two-month lockdown of Shanghai, have prompted many economists to cut their GDP forecasts to near 3%. That economic slowdown has contributed to the weakening yuan, which can help make Chinese exports cheaper to buyers in the U.S. and other countries. The U.S. dollar has strengthened significantly this year as the U.S....
How to boost your portfolio ‘without doing anything,’ from a chief investment strategist: You can ‘improve your performance by a third’
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How to boost your portfolio ‘without doing anything,’ from a chief investment strategist: You can ‘improve your performance by a third’

It's been a volatile and difficult year for investors in the broad stock market, and tech-stock investors have had it even worse. If you invest in dividend stocks, however, you're probably doing somewhat better. There's a good reason for that, says Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA research. "Dividend stocks reduce your overall volatility," he says. "Dividend payments offer a cushion to offset price declines." Case in point: The S&P 500, a yardstick from the broad stock market, is down about 16% so far in 2022. An index tracking technology stocks in the S&P 500 is down about 23% on the year and still sits solidly in bear market territory — defined as a decline of 20% or more from recent highs. The FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, which tracks the return of large- and medium-s...
Daily round-up, Sep 2: Landslide at Clementi BTO construction site; former Sri Lankan president to return home; Singapore’s giant pandas to extend stay
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Daily round-up, Sep 2: Landslide at Clementi BTO construction site; former Sri Lankan president to return home; Singapore’s giant pandas to extend stay

Let's get you up to speed with the day's stories. A man sustained minor injuries after a landslide occurred at a construction site for Build-to-Order (BTO) flats in Clementi. No other injuries were reported. Affected sections of the park connector have been cordoned off by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and will be closed to the public to facilitate restoring water flow in the Ulu Pandan canal. Residents say they were unaware of the incident and did not hear any loud sounds during the time of the incident, which happened at around 2am. Some expressed concerns about their safety as they live on high floors. The area's Member of Parliament Sim Ann said the damage is “fairly extensive” but unlikely to delay the collection of keys for buyers of the new flats. Bankrupt Sri Lanka's...
China tightens green bond rules to align them with global norms
World

China tightens green bond rules to align them with global norms

SHANGHAI: China has raised the bar for issuances in the world's second-biggest green bond market, taking a major step towards adopting global standards and eliminating "greenwashing". Starting this month, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, China's premier bourse, requires 100 per cent of the proceeds from green bond issuances to be invested in green projects such as clean energy - compared with at least 70 per cent previously - according to a notice seen by Reuters. Separately, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has instructed both the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses to revise rules to bring issuances of such bonds in line with the newly published China Green Bond Principles, said two sources. China published the Principles - a set of self-disciplinary green bond frameworks large...
IN FOCUS: A story of how a team poured their heart and soul into enhancing Singapore’s water supply and what’s next for NEWater
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IN FOCUS: A story of how a team poured their heart and soul into enhancing Singapore’s water supply and what’s next for NEWater

As a result, the plant was unstable, creating issues with costs and reliability. Recalling the early days of the project, he said his team would often end up working through the night, racing to get the plant up and running. "In those days, the plant was like my first home, I would only go home for dinner and then run back to the plant," he said. Problems continued to plague the plant even after it officially opened in May 2000. "It was three months of hell because it seemed like everything we did was wrong, and everyone was just working day and night, like there was no tomorrow, to fix the problems." For Mr Peck, whose son had just been born, it also meant having to juggle being a new parent and operating a plant at the same time. But despite the challenges, the team never gave up a...
Stash Review: Is the all-in-one financial services app worth the money?
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Stash Review: Is the all-in-one financial services app worth the money?

Subscribe to the Select Newsletter! Our best selections in your inbox. Shopping recommendations that help upgrade your life, delivered weekly. Sign-up here. Stash review Stash Learn More Minimum deposit and balance Bank account: no minimum; Smart Portfolio: $5; Brokerage, Roth and traditional IRAs: $0.01 Fees Fees vary based on the pricing tier: Stash Growth is $3 a month and Stash+ is $9 a month Investment vehicles offered Robo-advisor, Traditional and Roth IRAs, Brokerage account, Custodial Accounts, Bank account Investment options Stocks and ETFs Pros Access to a robo-advisor, brokerage account, bank account and retirement accounts in one app Variety of stocks from different companies and ETFs Cons Hefty annual fee of at least $36 Learn More View More Stash's pricing options and ...
Second COVID-19 booster now recommended for people aged 60 and above: MOH
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Second COVID-19 booster now recommended for people aged 60 and above: MOH

BETTER PROTECTION The first booster provides good protection against hospitalisation and severe COVID-19 in people aged 60 to 79, MOH said. However, the ministry expects the protection to gradually wane, given that it has been more than a year since the first booster was administered to this age group. “We need to keep our vaccinations up-to-date, to prepare for possible future infection waves,” it said. MOH added that the latest evidence indicates that a second booster increased vaccine effectiveness against severe diseases from 94 per cent to 97 per cent for those aged 70 to 79. For those aged 60 to 69, this effectiveness went up from 97 per cent to 98 per cent. Speaking at the press conference, MOH director of medical services Kenneth Mak said that a second mRNA booster dose reduc...
Elon Musk wants to cut this ‘terrible habit’ from his morning routine: ‘I suspect a lot of people do [this]’
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Elon Musk wants to cut this ‘terrible habit’ from his morning routine: ‘I suspect a lot of people do [this]’

Despite being a multibillionaire with plans to colonize Mars, Elon Musk has surprisingly relatable daily goals. For starters, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO wants to revamp his daily routine, beginning with the moment he wakes up. In a recent interview with Full Send Podcast, Musk said he checks his phone first thing in the morning — and he thinks it could be detrimental to his health. "I have a bad habit — which I suspect a lot of people do — of immediately checking my phone [in the morning]," Musk said on the show. "It's a terrible habit, actually." Musk, who previously told Auto Bild – a German automobile magazine – that he spends the first 30 minutes of every day checking emails, now says he wants to replace the habit with a workout. "I [need] to work out and be in better shape," Musk sa...
Inside Tesla’s drive to keep Musk’s battery promise
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Inside Tesla’s drive to keep Musk’s battery promise

The secret behind Elon Musk's goal of selling 20 million Tesla's a year by 2030 lies in its pioneering battery technology. The good news is that by using bigger cells and a new process to dry-coat electrodes, Tesla could halve the cost of a Model Y battery, saving more than 8 per cent of the car's U.S. starting price, battery experts with ties to the company said. The bad news is that it's only halfway there, according to 12 experts close to Tesla or familiar with its new technology. That's because the dry-coating technique used to produce the bigger cells in Tesla's 4680 battery is so new and unproven the company is having trouble scaling up manufacturing to the point where the big cost savings kick in, the experts told Reuters. "They just aren't ready for mass production," said one o...
China pares back holdings of US Treasuries for 7th month
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China pares back holdings of US Treasuries for 7th month

(This Aug 15 story removes incorrect reference in paragraph 11 to 10-year Treasury yield falling in June) By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK : China slashed holdings of U.S. Treasuries for a seventh consecutive month in June, Treasury department data released on Monday showed, with investors closely tracking this measure in the wake of tensions between the world's two largest economies involving Taiwan. China's stash of U.S. government debt dropped to $967.8 billion in June, the lowest since May 2010 when it held $843.7 billion. In May, the world's second biggest economy had $980.8 billion in Treasuries, data showed. China's hoard of U.S. debt has seen multiple 12-year lows the last few months. "This looks more likely a function of Chinese FX intervention to keep USD/CNY stable in a ...