Emerging stocks set to erase weekly loss on Ukraine; won gains
By Bloomberg
Emerging-market stocks are poised to erase a weekly drop as a Ukraine cease-fire deal and signs of compromise on Greece’s debt talks boosted appetite for riskier assets. South Korea’s won strengthened the most since 2011.
Tencent Holdings Ltd. rose 1.6 percent in Hong Kong to pace gains for technology shares. PetroChina Co. led a 1.7 percent gain in the Shanghai Composite Index. BYD Co. jumped 5.9 percent in Hong Kong after selling a unit for 2.3 billion yuan ($368.5 million). South Korea’s won surged the most since 2011 versus the dollar and Malaysia’s ringgit halted a four-day slump.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index climbed 0.9 percent to 980.31 at 1:11 p.m. in Hong Kong, taking its advance this week to 0.2 percent. Ukraine and Russia agreed on a truce that will take effect on Feb. 15. Greece is seeking a “new contract” with the euro area on how to continue its bailout, as talks resume and both sides signal willingness to compromise, according to government officials taking part in the talks.
“The Ukraine agreement is really positive for investors as it helps remove the key geopolitical conflict that has hung over the market in the past few weeks,” Win Udomrachtavanich, chief executive officer of One Asset Management Co., which manages about $3 billion of assets, said by phone from Bangkok. “The biggest concern to investors is the Greece debt problem. Investors will closely watch the debt talks this weekend.”
Debt Restructuring
Ukraine’s $40 billion international bailout plan and cease- fire agreement are also paving the way for the government to start debt restructuring talks with creditors.
The developing-nations gauge has risen 2.5 percent this year and is valued at 11.7 times 12-month projected earnings, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The MSCI World Index has climbed 2.1 percent in 2015 and trades at a multiple of 16.5.
All 10 industry groups in the emerging-markets index rose, paced by health-care shares and technology companies. Celltrion Inc., a South Korean drug manufacturer, soared 13 percent. The Kospi index added 0.6 percent. Tencent, China’s second-biggest Internet company, halted a two-day loss.
The Shanghai Composite Index headed for the first weekly advance in a month as funds tied up on bidding for shares of 17 companies having initial public offerings were returned to investors. Twenty four companies in total marketed their IPO shares this week, which a Bloomberg survey showed probably froze 2.05 trillion yuan ($328 billion).
BYD Gains
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng China Enterprises Index increased 0.8 percent. BYD, the Chinese electric automaker partially owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., headed for its steepest two-day rally since April 2013. The company will sell its electronics component unit to Holitech Technology Co.
The won strengthened 1.3 percent, tracking gains in the yen after the Bank of Japan was said to view further monetary stimulus as counterproductive for now. The ringgit climbed 0.8 percent, while the Taiwan dollar rose 0.5 percent and the Thai baht added 0.3 percent.
Samsung Life Insurance Co. tumbled 7.1 percent in Seoul, the largest drop in the developing-nations gauge, after the stock was downgraded to market perform at Daishin Securities Co.
The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 0.7 percent while the Jakarta Composite Index Equity added 0.5 percent.
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!