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    Keir Starmer to hold talks with Xi Jinping

    $75 per monthComplete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.What’s included Global news & analysisExpert opinionFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit appFirstFT: the day’s biggest stories20+ curated newslettersFollow topics & set alerts with myFTFT Videos & Podcasts20 monthly gift articles to shareLex: FT’s flagship investment column15+ Premium newsletters by leading expertsFT Digital Edition: our digitised print edition More

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    Morning Bid: EM conditions tighten, outflows heighten

    (Reuters) – A look at the day ahead in Asian markets. Asian markets could be in for a rocky ride on Monday, as rising U.S. bond yields, a surging dollar and a wobble on Wall Street on Friday call into question the wisdom of buying local assets.Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s comments on Thursday – that the central bank is in no rush to lower interest rates – continue to reverberate around world markets.The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield on Friday hit 4.50% for the first time in over five months, and Wall Street fell. The Nasdaq lost more than 2% and has fallen four days in a row – the last time it did that was in April.The MSCI World equity index has also fallen four days in a row, its longest losing streak since the first week of September, while the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index lost 4.35%, its biggest weekly decline since June, 2022.If that wasn’t enough for emerging market investors, they are having to grapple with an extraordinary rally in the U.S. dollar. The dollar index last week leapt 1.6%, hit its highest in over a year, and recorded a seventh weekly rise in a row. It is no doubt due for a correction, but momentum is strong and it looks like it will take some bravery and conviction to stand in its way right now. Goldman Sachs’s emerging market financial conditions index last week spiked to a three and a half month high. Against that potent mix of strong U.S. economic data, yields and dollar, it’s no surprise emerging markets are struggling. Citing EPFR Global data, strategists at Barclays (LON:BARC) note that emerging market funds have now posted outflows five weeks in a row, with bond fund outflows particularly strong.Asia’s calendar on Monday is fairly light, with the main highlights likely to be New Zealand producer prices, Singapore non-oil trade figures, Japanese machinery orders, earnings from Mitsubishi UFJ (NYSE:MUFG), and GDP data from Thailand.Economists polled by Reuters expect Thailand’s growth accelerated to a 2.6% annual rate from 2.3% in the April-June period. That would be the fastest pace of growth in one-and-a-half years.The Thai baht has been one of the better-performing Asian currencies against the dollar this year, down only 1.3% year-to-date, and markets are expecting less than 50 basis points of Bank of Thailand easing by the end of next year.Strained U.S.-Sino relations remain in the spotlight, after China’s President Xi Jinping told his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden that the issues of Taiwan, democracy, human rights and rights to development are “red lines” for China and not to be challenged.But Xi also said China is ready to work with the new U.S. administration to “maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences.”Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Monday:- Thailand GDP (Q3)- Japan machinery orders (September)- G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro begins More

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    Trump seeks pledge that his Treasury secretary will enact tough tariffs

    Standard DigitalStandard & FT Weekend Printwasnow $29 per 3 monthsThe new FT Digital Edition: today’s FT, cover to cover on any device. This subscription does not include access to ft.com or the FT App.What’s included Global news & analysisExpert opinionFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit appFirstFT: the day’s biggest stories20+ curated newslettersFollow topics & set alerts with myFTFT Videos & Podcasts20 monthly gift articles to shareLex: FT’s flagship investment column15+ Premium newsletters by leading expertsFT Digital Edition: our digitised print editionWeekday Print EditionFT WeekendFT Digital EditionGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionSpecial featuresExclusive FT analysisFT Digital EditionGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionSpecial featuresExclusive FT analysisGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit appFirstFT: the day’s biggest stories20+ curated newslettersFollow topics & set alerts with myFTFT Videos & Podcasts10 monthly gift articles to shareGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit appFirstFT: the day’s biggest stories20+ curated newslettersFollow topics & set alerts with myFTFT Videos & Podcasts20 monthly gift articles to shareLex: FT’s flagship investment column15+ Premium newsletters by leading expertsFT Digital Edition: our digitised print editionEverything in PrintWeekday Print EditionFT WeekendFT Digital EditionGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionSpecial featuresExclusive FT analysisPlusEverything in Premium DigitalEverything in Standard DigitalGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionSpecial featuresFirstFT newsletterVideos & PodcastsFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit app10 gift articles per monthExclusive FT analysisPremium newslettersFT Digital Edition10 additional gift articles per monthMake and share highlightsFT WorkspaceMarkets data widgetSubscription ManagerWorkflow integrationsOccasional readers go freeVolume discountFT Weekend Print deliveryPlusEverything in Standard DigitalFT Weekend Print deliveryPlusEverything in Premium Digital More

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    G20 leaders gather in Rio while COP29 delegates seek deal in Baku

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    Philippines launches interest rate swaps market to boost bond liquidity

    The start of IRS transactions follows the recognition by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association of the benchmark – the overnight reference rate (ORR) – which the Bankers Association of the Philippines helped establish. IRS, a fixture of developed fixed-income markets, lets parties manage rate risk or bet on the direction of borrowing costs by exchanging fixed and floating interest rate streams.The ORR, to be based on the central bank’s daily reverse repurchase auctions, is expected to provide a better benchmark for pricing loans, now based on yields from thinly traded government securities.”We are excited for PESO IRS to go live to help boost transactions, create a benchmark yield curve, and deepen our capital markets,” central bank Governor Eli Remolona said in a statement. “A benchmark curve will help banks and other lenders price loans at various maturities.”Sixteen banks have committed to be market makers for the ORR-based IRS, ensuring pricing across maturities from one month to 10 years and enhancing interest rate transparency, the central bank said.Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas also said it was working on adopting global master repurchase agreement contracts that will allow banks to access treasury bonds for repo transactions to boost the government securities repo market. More

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    What to expect from the markets under Trump

    Standard DigitalStandard & FT Weekend Printwasnow $29 per 3 monthsThe new FT Digital Edition: today’s FT, cover to cover on any device. This subscription does not include access to ft.com or the FT App.What’s included Global news & analysisExpert opinionFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit appFirstFT: the day’s biggest stories20+ curated newslettersFollow topics & set alerts with myFTFT Videos & Podcasts20 monthly gift articles to shareLex: FT’s flagship investment column15+ Premium newsletters by leading expertsFT Digital Edition: our digitised print editionWeekday Print EditionFT WeekendFT Digital EditionGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionSpecial featuresExclusive FT analysisFT Digital EditionGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionSpecial featuresExclusive FT analysisGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit appFirstFT: the day’s biggest stories20+ curated newslettersFollow topics & set alerts with myFTFT Videos & Podcasts10 monthly gift articles to shareGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit appFirstFT: the day’s biggest stories20+ curated newslettersFollow topics & set alerts with myFTFT Videos & Podcasts20 monthly gift articles to shareLex: FT’s flagship investment column15+ Premium newsletters by leading expertsFT Digital Edition: our digitised print editionEverything in PrintWeekday Print EditionFT WeekendFT Digital EditionGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionSpecial featuresExclusive FT analysisPlusEverything in Premium DigitalEverything in Standard DigitalGlobal news & analysisExpert opinionSpecial featuresFirstFT newsletterVideos & PodcastsFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit app10 gift articles per monthExclusive FT analysisPremium newslettersFT Digital Edition10 additional gift articles per monthMake and share highlightsFT WorkspaceMarkets data widgetSubscription ManagerWorkflow integrationsOccasional readers go freeVolume discountFT Weekend Print deliveryPlusEverything in Standard DigitalFT Weekend Print deliveryPlusEverything in Premium Digital More

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    Pakistan discusses $7 billion bailout reform agenda with IMF in unusual talks

    ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan discussed its $7 billion bailout reform agenda with the International Monetary Fund during an unscheduled staff visit last week, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday, suggesting no new taxes are to be imposed. The talks in Islamabad came within six weeks of the IMF approving the bailout, an unusual move as it is rare for the fund to discuss reforms ahead of a review of the reform plan under the loan programme. A first review of Pakistan’s reforms is due in the first quarter of 2025.”We discussed reforms in taxation, energy sector, privatisation of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and public finance,” Aurangzeb said in a recorded video statement broadcast by state-run television.After wrapping up the visit, the IMF had said it was encouraged by Islamabad’s reaffirmed commitment to the economic reforms under the Extended Fund Facility its board had approved in September to reduce vulnerabilities.The mission did not state the weaknesses, but sources in Pakistan’s finance ministry have said some major lapses prompted the IMF’s visit. Among these were a shortfall of nearly 190 billion rupees ($685 million) in revenue collection during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, the sources said.The period also saw an external financing gap of $2.5 billion, while Pakistan failed in the bid to sell its national airline.It had prompted fears that Pakistan might need to impose new taxes to bridge the shortfall.But Aurangzeb said the shortfall will be met only with enforcement to get people to pay their taxes, implying there would not be any new revenue measures.”We are going to be very firm on compliance and enforcement,” he said, adding that al the sectors will have to play their role in contributing towards the country’s economy. The IMF said both sides agreed on the need to continue prudent fiscal and monetary policies, and to mobilise revenue from untapped tax bases. Pakistan’s $350 billion economy has struggled for decades with boom-and-bust cycles, needing 23 IMF bailouts since 1958. More

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    Most Gulf markets fall on Fed rate cut concerns

    (Reuters) – Most Gulf stock markets fell on Sunday after U.S economic data and comments from Federal Reserve officials pointed to a slower pace of interest-rate cuts.Investors increased bets on the Fed leaving interest rates unchanged at its December meeting and dialled back expectations for easing in 2025.The Fed’s decisions have a significant impact on monetary policy in the Gulf as most of the region’s currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar.The Qatari benchmark index slipped 0.4%, with almost all of its constituents falling, led by the finance, communication and energy sectors.Qatar National Bank, the region’s largest lender, lost 1.4% and Qatar Navigation was down 1.1%.Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index snapped three sessions of losses, edging up 0.2% helped by gains in the IT, utilities, real estate, industry, healthcare and insurance sectors. Medgulf (TADAWUL:8030) rose 10% for its biggest daily gain in more than six months. The insurer said in a statement to the Saudi Exchange that it had received a circular from the Insurance Authority on a new mechanism for allocating reinsurance premiums to the local market.All bar two insurance stocks closed higher with Al Rajhi Company For Cooperative Insurance up 3.9%, and Saudi Reinsurance gaining 6.9%.Saudi Re said in a statement that the new mechanism would help increase Saudi reinsurance revenue by more then 5% from 2023.Outside the Gulf, Egypt’s blue-chip index reversed the previous session’s gain with a 0.7% fall, with most sectors in the red. Telecom (BCBA:TECO2m) Egypt lost 2.6% after it reported a 13% decrease in quarterly net profit on Thursday. However, Juhayna Food gained 3.7% after it posted around a 200% jump in third quarter net profit. SAUDI ARABIA rose 0.2% to 11,812 KUWAIT was up 0.2% to 7,849 QATAR lost 0.4% to 10,411 EGYPT dropped 0.7% to 31,252 BAHRAIN ended flat to 2,053 OMAN was down 0.4% to 4,626 More