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Global Economics & Markets Research Email: [email protected] URL: www.uob.com.sg/research Friday, 29 April 2016 Markets Overview HIGHLIGHTS AHEAD The data focus shifts to Europe on Friday (29 Apr) where we will get the prelim French 1Q GDP and more importantly, the Euro-zone prelim April CPI & 1Q 2016 GDP data. For the US data docket this Friday (29 Apr), we will get the March PCE & core deflator, the March personal income and spending data, April ISM Milwaukee, the April Chicago PMI, the final print for the April University of Michigan consumer confidence survey. But the attention for the US markets will likely remain on the very busy US corporate earnings calendar with particular interest on the US oil majors reporting today (Chevron Corp and Exxon Mobil Corp both on 29 April). As for the data docket for the developed economies, the notable releases are Italian and the Eurozone March unemployment, ECB publishes monthly bulletin, UK March mortgage approvals & March M4 Money supply data. The Russian central bank will make its monetary policy rate decision on 29 April. Note that Japan will be closed today (29 Apr) for Showa holiday and then Japan markets will be closed again from 3-5 May so Japanese markets could be very quiet after the 28 April BOJ decision till they resume the normal work-week on 9 May. The US & the Eurozone markets will remain open for business as usual for the first week of May while the UK will be closed on 2 May (Monday) for the early May Bank holiday. (Note the European markets are usually closed in observance of the Labour Day holiday if 1st of May falls on a working weekday). Key data due today in Asian (Fri, 29 Apr) will include Taiwan’s 1Q16 GDP at 8:30am with expectations of -0.65%y/y after a -0.52% decline in 4Q15. Later at 330pm Thailand will issue its March trade report, with the customs trade data days earlier (released 25 Apr) showing an unexpected rebound in exports for two consecutive months of expansion after more than a year of declines. Market attention will shift to April PMI reports next week after a long weekend holiday break. China’s official manufacturing and nonmanufacturing PMI reports will be released on Sun at 9am, with expectations for manufacturing PMI holding steady at 50.3 in Apr vs. 50.2 in Mar. Japan’s markets are closed today for public holiday and next Mon, China, Taiwan, HK, M’sia, Thailand, and Singapore will be closed for May Day public holiday. CENTRAL BANK MEETINGS After the market built up expectations for more monetary stimulus coming in April, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) surprised the markets on Thursday (28 Apr) as it unexpectedly maintained its monetary policy stance unchanged (to keep increasing the monetary base at an annual pace of 80 trillion yen with the extended duration of about 7-12 years and its other buying programs of ETFs, J-Reits, CP, corporate bonds and loans programs as announced in the Dec 2015 MPM) and it also kept its Policy-Rate Balances interest rate unchanged at -0.1%. The BOJ did announce a loan measure of JPY300bn at zero interest rate to provide help to the region affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake. Otherwise, it basically stayed on hold despite the great market easing expectations. And on the inflation front, the central bank once again abandoned its previous forecast to achieve the 2% inflation by 2nd half of FY2016 and instead it now projects the “the year-on-year rate of change in the CPI will decrease gradually from the current level of slightly more than minus 1 percentage point, but remain negative until the beginning of fiscal 2017. Based on this assumption, the timing of the year-on-year rate of change in the CPI reaching around 2 percent -- the price stability target -- is projected to be during fiscal 2017”. In BOJ governor Kuroda’s post-meeting press conference, he reiterated that the BOJ will monitor the risks to the economy and prices closely and will not hesitate taking additional monetary easing steps if necessary. He also explained that under the current Japan law, it is impossible for the BOJ to adopt (helicopter money) but assured that the BOJ can adopt more negative rates if needed. He also opined that the negative rates have not significantly affected financial institutions’ intermediary functions and he (in strongly worded response?) said that the BOJ will not let financial institutions dictate Japan’s monetary policy. While we (and the broader market) expected more easing measures from the BOJ in April 2016 MPM, the central bank decided to keep its current monetary policy stance unchanged in April, confounding many. The BOJ has made some unexpected decisions in recent months and with today’s surprise, the BOJ has possibly gained the reputation of unpredictability. We still expect more BOJ easing to come in 2016 possibly in the next MPM. If so, we believe that this will likely be in the form an expansion of its asset purchase programme and increasing the monetary base to an annual pace of 90 trillion yen (from 80 trillion yen currently), increase annual ETF purchases from JPY3tn to JPY 4-5trn. We remain of the view that the BOJ may hold off more negative rates in the near term as the BOJ will like more time to assess the impact of negative rates but rates are still likely to go more negative before the end of 2016. There is no MPM in May and the next MPM is on 15/16 June. hold, though the USD/SGD range has shifted sharply lower to 1.3379-1.3514. FX The US dollar was already on a weaker footing against the majors on Wednesday (27 Apr) following the April FOMC and the weakness exacerbated after the BOJ surprised when it decided to keep its current monetary policy stance unchanged today, confounding many in the markets. The weaker than expected US 1Q GDP also reinforced expectations that the Fed Reserve will stay on pause for longer, helping the dollar lower. The Japanese yen shot higher after the BOJ’s surprise pause and the USD/JPY pair traded to an intraday low of 107.87 in the NY session before closing at 108.11 (from 111.46 previously). The euro was also stronger, with the EUR/USD touching 1.1368 intraday and the pair eventually closed near the intraday high at 1.1352 (from 1.1322 in the previous session). The UK pound similarly appreciated against the US dollar and the GBP/USD closed higher at 1.4609 (from 1.4543). The AUD/ USD also gained as commodity prices rallied and ended higher at 0.7625 (from 0.7591). The kiwi dollar also ended the NY session stronger and the NZD/USD pair closed at 0.6962 (from 0.6846). Asian currencies rose across the board against the USD on Thur, after the surprise decision from BoJ to keep its policy stance touched off a wave of USD dollar selling, compounding the impact on the USD after the US Fed FOMC decision stayed largely neutral on Thur morning. With most Asian markets closed next Mon for Labour Day holiday, trading is likely to thin out comparatively today and could keep a lid on the USD especially after the underwhelming US 1Q GDP report on Thur evening. In Asian session on Thur, KRW led its Asian peers with a 0.9% gain to 1,138.10/USD, the biggest increase since 19 Apr, tracking the surge in the JPY immediately after the BoJ announcement. MYR rose 0.3% to 3.9020/USD, gaining for second day, after the announcement of a new governor Bank Negara Malaysia provided much relief to the market with continuity and stability seen in the central bank. TWD recovered from early losses to gain the most since 19 Apr, rising 0.2% to close at 32.279/USD after falling as much as 0.1% to 32.376 intraday. THB rose 0.1% to 35.075/USD for second day of gains despite Finance Ministry cutting Thailand’s 2016 GDP growth forecast to 3.3% from 3.7% previously, on weak exports, according to the ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office statement. IDR was steady at 13,187/USD from 13,190 on Wed, with Indonesia government projecting 2016 budget deficit to widen to 2.4%-2.5% of GDP, from previous forecast of 2.15%, according to Finance Ministry. SGD strengthened along with the rest of other Asian currencies after BoJ’s surprise inaction, though some of the gains were erased during Ldn/NY session, the local unit was still 0.3% firmer at 1.3450/USD from 1.3493 late Wed. The unit touched intraday high of 1.3415 on Thur afternoon but trended weaker from there. This morning, the SGD NEER index dropped back to just around the midpoint, from +0.3% on Thur. For now, the +/-0.5% range from parity should still Markets Overview Friday, 29 April 2016 The surprise decision by BoJ on Thur to keep its policy stance rather than easing further touched off a wave of USD selling in Asia in the afternoon. Onshore RMB erased an earlier decline, rising 0.24%, the biggest in a week, to 6.4792/USD, while offshore CNH strengthened 0.27% to 6.4852/USD late Asian session on Wed, for the biggest gain in a month, reversing from the day’s low of 6.5156 after the fixing was lowered. With weaker US 1Q GDP reported late Thur and both US Fed and BoJ decisions out of the way, market attention on China will shift to April PMI reports next week after a long weekend holiday break. The official manufacturing and nonmanufacturing PMI reports will be released on Sun at 9am, with expectations for manufacturing PMI holding steady at 50.3 in Apr vs. 50.2 in Mar. Meanwhile, weaker USD tone is likely to keep the upside on USD/CNY capped for now. This morning, the UOB central parity model is projecting a LOWER USD/CNY fix of 6.4882, vs. fix of 6.4954 on Thur. EQUITIES The US equity markets tumbled on Thursday (28 Apr), first hit by the weaker US 1Q GDP and the surprise decision by the Bank of Japan against announcing more monetary stimulus. The selloff worsened after billionaire investor Carl Icahn told CNBC that he liquidated his remaining Apple shares due to worries the Chinese government would frustrate the company’s efforts to sell more iPhones and other gadgets in China. The DJIA closed 210.79 points (-1.17%) lower to 17,830.8 while the broader S&P 500 index was down by 19.34 points (-0.92%) at 2,075.81. The Nasdaq was fell the most among the major indices as it fell 57.85 points (-1.19%) to settle at 4,805.29. The CBOE volatility Index (VIX) or “fear index” climbed higher to 15.22 (from 13.77 previously). US TREASURIES The US treasury market strengthened on Thursday (28 Apr) as demand was robust for the 7-year note auction amidst growing confidence that the Fed Reserve will take it slow in raising interest rates. The US$28bn 7-year note drew strong demand with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.65 (from 2.51 previously) at a yield of 1.634% (from 1.606% previously). The 2-year yield closed the session 3.6bps lower to 0.78% while the 5-year yield was down by 2.8bps to 1.29%. The 10-year yield was 2.7bps lower to 1.82% while the 30-year yield was lower by 2.1bps to 2.68%. COMMODITIES Global oil prices rallied again on Thursday (28 Apr) touching fresh highs for 2016 even though there was no significant news to justify the gains other than the fact that the US dollar was broadly weaker after the Fed stay put and investors are increasingly confident that the Fed is in no hurry to hike rates soon. The NYMEX WTI crude was up US$0.70 to US$46.03 while London ICE Brent is up by nearly US$1 to US$48.14. Page Gold price also ended higher on Thursday (28 Apr) on the back of the weak US data reaffirming expectations that the Fed will be in no hurry to hike rates soon and the broadly weaker US dollar overnight. The gold price closed higher by US$17.20 to US$1266.40. Philippine President Benigno Aquino warned on Thursday the country was on the brink of another dictatorship, in a thinly veiled reference to controversial politicians leading surveys to win the top two posts in next month’s elections. Indonesia is to set GDP growth assumption at 5.5%-5.9% in 2017 Budget, and to focus on infrastructure, health and education spending next year, Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said Thur. Other assumptions in 2017 state budget include exchange rate at 13,650-13,900/USD, inflation at 3%-5% and oil price at US$35-$45/bbl. Bank Negara Malaysia has fined state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) for “failure to fully comply with directions under the Financial Services Act”, it said in a statement on Thur. 1MDB said, in a statement, it would pay an undisclosed fine for not complying with Bank Negara’s orders but it did not say if it would also repatriate funds as demanded by Bank Negara. Malaysia Deputy FinMin Chua Tee Yong said in Parliament on Thur that household debt ratio in 2015 stood at 89.1% of GDP, with 56.2% share for property loans to and 15.5% related to vehicle purchases, while noting that the government has various measures since 2010 to curb household debt growth. The former private wealth banker from BSI charged last week for receiving S$200,000 in his Bank of China account - alleged to be “benefits from criminal conduct” - was charged with 2 additional counts on Thursday. Yeo Jiawei faces one count of cheating involving US$1.6 million and one count for attempting to pervert the course of justice, in addition to the initial charge for receiving the S$200,000, which was a “benefit of criminal conduct”, Channelnewsasia reported. London has overtaken Singapore as the secondlargest offshore RMB clearing centre in terms of payments processing volumes, just behind Hong Kong, global transaction services organisation SWIFT said Thur. Singapore overtook London in February 2014, but the trend started to reverse in January 2016. In March, the value of RMB payments in London was 21% more than two years ago, SWIFT said. Hong Kong still processes 72.5% of all RMB payments, followed by London and Singapore at 6.3% and 4.6% share, respectively. A total of 4,600 workers Singapore were made redundant in 1Q16, compared to the 5,370 in 4Q15. However, the number was higher compared to the same period a year ago, according to the Manpower Ministry. Total employment grew by 11,400, from the seasonally high growth in the fourth quarter of 2015 at 16,100 and a reversal from the decline of -6,100 in 1Q15. Overall seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Singapore remained unchanged at 1.9%. Resale prices of private homes fell in March, after a marginal increase in Feb, according to flash estimates from the Singapore Residential Price Index (SRPI) released on Thur. Overall prices declined 1%m/m in March vs. +0.4%m/ m in Feb. ECONOMIC NEWS & DATA The usual Thursday US initial jobless claims showed that the US jobs markets staying tight as it rose to 257k from prior week’s 248k, but still better than the forecast of 259k and that four-week moving average of claims was just 256k, a level last seen in December 1973. The US 1Q 2016 GDP growth unexpectedly eased to +0.5%q/q SAAR (lower than the Bloomberg median forecast of +0.7% and from 1.4% in 4Q 2015). This is the lowest reading since 1Q 2014. All sectors of the economy weakened except housing market (as spending on home purchases jumped nearly 15% in 1Q, the biggest advance since late 2102.) while consumer spending (which accounts for 70 % of economic activity), grew at a slower 1.9% (from 2.4% in 4Q15). That said, the first quarter GDP for the US has been difficult to gauge and in recent years, the growth estimates have been drastically revised, so we will not be too surprised if the final 1Q GDP growth be revised higher to eventually above 1%. The German prelim April CPI inflation came in as expected at -0.2%m/m (+0.1%y/y) from +0.8%m/m (+0.3%y/y) in March. The Eurozone April economic confidence survey came in better than expected at 103.9 (from 103 in March and above the forecast of 103.4) This morning (29 April), the UK GfK consumer confidence worsened to -3.0 (from 0 in March and well below the forecast of -1) China is said to be considering starting onshore trading of credit-default swaps linked to company debt as the number of corporate nonpayments surges, as well as to allow trading of credit-linked notes, Bloomberg reported Thur. China will not allow chaos and war to break out on the Korean peninsula, which would be to no one’s advantage, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a group of Asian foreign ministers Thur. Tianjin is reported to expand cross-border RMB trials with companies in the city able to borrow RMB funds from Singapore banks and can sell RMB-denominated bonds in Singapore and use the funds independently, Xinhua reported, citing PBOC’s Tianjin branch. In addition, individuals in the city can conduct China-Singapore cross-border RMB settlement business under current account and similar trials were implemented in a zone in the city earlier. Markets Overview Friday, 29 April 2016 Page Economic Indicators Date Time Indicators 28 Apr 0900 1030 2030 29 Apr 01 May 02 May Markets Overview Friday, 29 April 2016 Month Actual Market Forecast Previous CN Swift Global Payments CNY Mar SG Unemployment Rate sa 1Q 1.88 - 1.76% 1.9 2.0 1.9% US Initial Jobless Claims Apr 23 257 259 248k 2030 US Continuing Claims 2030 US GDP Annualized q/q Apr 16 2130 2137 2135k 1Q A 0.5 0.7 1.4% 2030 US Personal Consumption 1Q A 1.9 1.7 2.4% 2030 US GDP Price Index 1Q A 0.7 0.5 0.9% 2030 US Core PCE q/q 1Q A 2.1 1.9 1.3% 0700 SK Industrial Production y/y Mar 0.3 2.4% 0701 UK Lloyds Business Barometer Apr - 43 0705 UK GfK Consumer Confidence Apr -1 0 0830 TW GDP y/y 1Q P -0.60 -0.52% 1530 TH Foreign Reserves USD Apr 22 - 176.6bn 1530 TH Exports USD Mar - 18120mn 1530 TH Imports USD Mar - 12142mn 1530 TH Trade Balance USD Mar - 5978mn 1530 TH BoP Current Account Balance USD Mar - 7401mn 1700 EZ GDP q/q sa 1Q A 0.4 0.3% 1700 EZ GDP y/y sa 1Q A 1.4 1.6% 2030 US Employment Cost Index 1Q 0.6 0.6% 2030 US Personal Income Mar 0.3 0.2% 2030 US Personal Spending Mar 0.2 0.1% 2030 US Real Personal Spending Mar 0.1 0.2% 2030 US PCE Core m/m Mar 0.1 0.1% 2145 US Chicago Purchasing Manager Apr 53.0 53.6 2200 US U. of Mich. Sentiment Apr F 90.0 89.7 0800 SK Exports y/y Apr -9.6 -8.1% 0800 SK Imports y/y Apr -12.3 -13.9% 0800 SK Trade Balance USD Apr 8272 9855mn 0900 CN Manufacturing PMI Apr 50.3 50.2 0700 SK BoP Current Account Balance USD Mar - 7507.7mn 0930 SK Nikkei South Korea PMI Mfg Apr - 49.5 1100 ID Nikkei Indonesia PMI Mfg Apr - 50.6 1430 AU Commodity Index y/y Apr - -15.4% 2145 US Markit US Manufacturing PMI Apr F - - 2200 US ISM Manufacturing Apr - 51.8 2200 US ISM Prices Paid Apr - 51.5 2200 US ISM New Orders Apr - 58.3 2200 US Construction Spending m/m Mar - -0.5% Page 03 May 04 May 05 May Markets Overview Friday, 29 April 2016 0700 SK CPIm/m Apr - -0.3% 0700 SK CPI y/y Apr - 1.0% 0700 SK CPI Core y/y Apr - 1.7% 0945 CN Caixin China PMI Mfg Apr - 49.7 1030 TW Nikkei Taiwan PMI Mfg Apr - 51.1 1130 My Nikkei Malaysia PMI Apr - 48.4 1230 AUD Official Cash Rate May 2.00 2.00% 1630 UK Markit UK PMI Manufacturing sa Apr - 51.0 2100 SG PMI Apr - 49.4 0500 SK Foreign Reserves USD Apr - 369.84bn 1530 TH Foreign Reserves USD Apr 29 - - 1630 UK Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI 1900 US MBA Mortgage Applications 2015 US ADP Employment Change 2030 2030 Apr - 54.2 Apr 29 - - Apr - 200k US Trade Balance USD Mar - 47.1bn US Nonfarm Productivity 1Q P - -2.2% 2030 US Unit Labor Costs 1Q P - 3.3% 2145 US Markit US Services PMI Apr - 52.1 2145 US Markit US Composite PMI Apr - 51.7 2200 US ISM Non-Manf. Composite Apr 54.6 54.5 2200 US Factory Orders Mar 1.0 -1.7% 2200 US Factory Orders Ex Trans Mar - -0.8% 2200 US Durable Goods Orders Mar F - 0.8% 2200 US Durables Ex Transportation Mar F - -0.2% 0830 TW CPI y/y Apr - 2.00% 0945 CN Caixin China PMI Services Apr - 52.2 0945 CN Caixin China PMI Composite Apr - 51.3 1030 HK Nikkei Hong Kong PMI Apr - 45.5 1100 SG Nikkei Singapore PMI Apr - 52.0 1620 TW Foreign Reserves USD Apr - 431.60bn 1630 UK Markit/CIPS UK Services PMI Apr - 53.7 1630 UK Markit/CIPS Composite PMI Apr - 53.6 2030 US Initial Jobless Claims Apr 30 - - 2030 US Continuing Claims Apr 23 - - Page Foreign Exchange Rates (as of 28 Apr 2016) FX Close Asian High Asian Low Interest Rates NY High NY Low Rates Current Next CB Meet UOB’s Forecast 0.25-0.50% 14-15 Jun 0.25-0.50% EUR 1.1347 1.1368 1.1272 1.1368 1.1296 USD Fed Funds Rate GBP 1.4551 1.4618 1.4475 1.4623 1.4524 EUR Refinancing Rate 0.00% 02 Jun 0.00% AUD 0.7619 0.7658 0.7549 0.7658 0.7576 GBP Repo Rate 0.50% 12 May 0.50% NZD 0.6959 0.6990 0.6808 0.6990 0.6847 AUD Official Cash Rate 2.00% 03 May 2.00% JPY 108.06 111.88 107.92 111.88 107.87 NZD Official Cash Rate 2.25% 09 Jun 2.25% SGD 1.3448 1.3562 1.3416 1.3502 1.3416 JPY Official Cash Rate 0-0.10% 15-16 Jun 0-0.10% MYR 3.8970 3.9188 3.8907 3.9188 3.8907 SGD 3-Mth SIBOR 1.00% - - 3.25% 19 May 3.25% IDR 13190 13214 13171 - - MYR O/N Policy Rate THB 35.01 35.17 34.98 - - IDR O/N Rate 6.75% 19 May 6.75% PHP 46.837 46.837 46.727 - - THB 1-Day Repo 1.50% 11 May 1.50% INR 66.521 66.551 66.375 - - PHP O/N Reverse Repo 4.00% 12 May 4.00% TWD 32.279 32.376 32.230 - - INR Repo Rate 6.50% 07 Jun 6.50% KRW 1138.10 1149.30 1138.10 - - TWD Discount Rate 1.50% 21 Jun 1.375% HKD 7.7576 7.7579 7.7555 - - KRW Base Rate 1.50% 13 May 1.50% CNY 6.4759 6.5026 6.4748 - - HKD Base Rate 0.50% - 0.50% CNY 1-Yr Wking Capital 4.35% - 4.35% Stock Indices (as of 28 Apr 2016) Indices Dow Jones Industrial Average Commodities (as of 28 Apr 2016) Closing % chg ytd % chg 17830.76 -1.17 +2.33 Commodities Closing % Chg 46.03 +1.54 S&P 500 2075.81 -0.92 +1.56 NYMEX Crude (Jun) NASDAQ Composite 4805.29 -1.19 -4.04 Comex Gold (Jun) 1266.40 +1.28 Reuters CRB Index 183.16 +0.37 Closing Net Chg 0.78 -4 US 10-Year Bond 1.82 -3 -0.08 -3 Tokyo Nikkei 225 16666.05 -3.61 -12.44 London FTSE 100 6322.40 +0.04 +1.28 Frankfurt DAX 10321.15 +0.21 -3.93 All Ordinaries 5289.38 +0.73 -1.03 FTSE Straits Times Index 2862.30 -0.43 -0.71 FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index 1674.76 -1.04 -1.05 Bond Yields (as of 28 Apr 2016) Bond Yields US 2-Year Bond Jakarta SE Composite Index 4848.39 +0.06 +5.56 JP 10-Year JGB Thailand SET Index 1399.91 -0.84 +8.69 EU 10-Year Bund 0.26 -3 UK 10-Year Long Gilt 1.61 -2 Philippines SE PSEi Index 7162.56 -0.25 +3.03 Taiwan SE Weighted Index 8473.87 -1.04 +1.63 Korea SE KOSPI Index 2000.93 -0.72 +2.02 Hong Kong Hang Seng Index 21388.03 +0.12 -2.40 Shanghai SE Composite Index 2945.59 -0.27 -16.77 India Sensex 30 Index 25603.10 -1.77 -1.97 UOB’s Estimation of SGD NEER (as of 29 Apr 2016) Assuming 2.0% on each side of the pivot point Market Holidays Country Date Event JP Apr 29 Showa Day SG/MY/CN/TW May 02 Labour Day UK May 02 Early May Bank Holiday JP May 03 Constitution Memorial Day JP May 04 Greenery Day May 05 Children’s Day Lower-End ........................................................................... 1.3707 JP/SK Upper-End ........................................................................... 1.3169 ID May 05 Ascension Day Mid-Point ............................................................................. 1.3433 TH May 05-06 Coronation Day TH May 20 Wisaha Bucha Day UK May 30 Spring Bank Holiday US May 30 Memorial Day NZ June 06 Queen’s Birthday Disclaimer: This analysis is based on information available to the public. 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