• English
  • 简体中文
  • 繁體中文
  • Tiếng Việt
  • ไทย
  • Indonesia
Subscribe
Real-time News
January 16th - Today, concrete pouring began on the nuclear island of Unit 1 at the Jiangsu Xuwei Nuclear Power Plant, a project of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). This marks the start of the main construction phase for the worlds first integrated nuclear energy utilization project that couples the "Hualong One" pressurized water reactor with a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, officially opening a new chapter in my countrys nuclear energy transformation from primarily power generation to diversified supply.On January 16th, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan attended a special meeting of the Legislative Councils Finance Committee to discuss whether the government would establish a mechanism to review the stock stamp duty. Chan stated that stamp duty is an important part of government revenue, and the increase in stamp duty this fiscal year mainly came from stocks, while property stamp duty was significantly reduced due to the still unstable market conditions. He believes this must be considered from the perspective of public finance and public interest. At the same time, the government will consider Hong Kongs competitiveness compared to other regions to avoid business losses. Chan reiterated that there will be no further reduction in the stock stamp duty unless the external environment makes Hong Kong less competitive. According to previous research, the current stamp duty level is appropriate in terms of transaction volume and competitiveness. As for new areas such as real estate funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the restrictions will be more lenient, but the bottom line of collecting all due taxes will be upheld, and the feelings of the general public will not be ignored.January 16th - According to the National Healthcare Security Administration, as of now, all 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have completed the launch of the medical insurance drug price comparison mini-program, achieving full coverage and accessibility for all citizens, allowing insured individuals across the country to enjoy convenient price comparison services. The medical insurance drug price comparison mini-program relies on data resources from designated medical institutions nationwide, ensuring timely data updates, comprehensive functions, and wide coverage, providing a one-stop solution for drug price comparison. Insured individuals can search for their local medical insurance mini-program on WeChat or Alipay, or access the medical insurance app to use the medical insurance drug price comparison mini-program. After entering the drug name, they can instantly obtain core information such as the price range, inventory status, and manufacturer of the drug at designated pharmacies in their region. The mini-program supports filtering and sorting by multiple dimensions, including price level and distance.Australian Treasurer Chalmers: Supports Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Bullocks signing of a letter supporting Federal Reserve Chairman Powells decision.January 16th - According to sources, some Bank of Japan (BOJ) policymakers believe that an earlier-than-expected interest rate hike is possible, with a high probability of an April rate increase, as the continued depreciation of the yen could exacerbate already widening inflationary pressures. BOJ policymakers face the daunting task of pushing up years of persistently low borrowing costs amid increasing global headwinds and economic pressures, just as the Japanese economy is beginning to recover from prolonged deflation. The central bank just raised interest rates to a 30-year high in December and is expected to keep rates unchanged at its January meeting. However, sources say many BOJ policymakers believe there is room for further rate hikes, with some not ruling out action in April, which would be earlier than the mainstream market expectation (i.e., a rate hike in the second half of the year). Sources indicate that if sufficient evidence emerges that Japan will continue to achieve its 2% inflation target, some within the BOJ are not ruling out the possibility of early action.

BHP Reports Record Annual Profit and Continuing Demand from China

Charlie Brooks

Aug 16, 2022 10:41

7.png


BHP Group Ltd. (ASX:BHP), the world's largest mining firm, reported a record underlying profit in fiscal year 2022, driven by healthy sales of its Western Australian iron ore and China's sustained metals demand.


For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, the miner's underlying earnings grew by 26% to a record $21.32 billion. BHP also issued a final dividend of $1.75 per share.


China, BHP's largest market, has a healthy demand for iron ore, which has contributed to the company's outstanding financial performance.


Despite a fall in demand for metals in more developed economies, the company predicts this trend to continue until 2023, with Chinese consumption staying strong. Energy crises in Europe and rising inflation are two of the miner's most important problems.


"As policy support gets in pace, we think that China will emerge as a source of stability for commodity demand in the coming year. In addition, we anticipate a slowdown in developed economies as monetary policy tightens "said BHP CEO Mike Henry.


The Anglo-Australian miner forecasts that production at its Western Australia Iron Ore operations would exceed 300 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2023, and is examining options to raise production to as much as 330 mtpa.


In 2022, the total revenue from iron ore declined from $34.34 billion in 2021 to $30.63 billion due to a decline in iron ore prices in the second half of the year.


China's sluggish industrial output as a result of a series of COVID-19 lockdowns enacted this year precipitated the decrease in commodities prices.


China's industrial output is declining, according to data released on Monday, a trend that could be negative to BHP this year. Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX:RIO), the largest iron ore miner in the world, reported weaker underlying profitability for the first half of the year, citing a decline in Chinese imports.


In an effort to expand its portfolio beyond iron ore, BHP made a $5.8 billion bid for copper miner OZ Minerals Ltd (ASX:OZL) last week. The offer was declined.