Stock indices of the largest Asia-Pacific countries are declining after the similar dynamics on the US stock market a day earlier.
The important events this week will be the publication of data on changes in consumer prices in the U.S. and China in April. They will be released on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
China’s Shanghai Composite Index was down 1.4% by 8:36 a.m. and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.7%. Both indicators are down for the second consecutive session.
Significant declines in Mainland China were posted by financial sector stocks including China Galaxy Securities (-10%), Bank of China (-5.7%), Agricultural Bank of China (-5.5%), Citic Securities (-3.1%) and ICBC (-4.7%).
On the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the most significant drop in price was posted by real estate developer Longfor Group Holdings Ltd. – by 3.9% and China Life Insurance Co. (SPB: 2628) by 2.8%.
In addition, computer maker Lenovo went down by 2% as well as Anta Sports Products Ltd. and Li Ning Co. – by 1.9% and 1.8%, respectively.
At the same time, the share price of Internet giant Tencent (SPB: 700) is up 0.5%, retailer Alibaba (SPB: BABA) by 0.9%, carmakers BYD and Geely by 3.7% and 3.6% respectively and chipmakers Sunny Optical Technology Group Co. and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. – by 3.7% and 1.6%, respectively.
The value of Japanese Nikkei 225 index by 8:31 a.m. Moscow timeframe decreased by 0.4 percent.
Among the leaders of falling quotes are shares of metal producers Pacific Metals Co. (-11.2%), Nippon Steel Corp. (-8.2%) and Kobe Steel Ltd. (-3.7%) as well as automobile producer Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (-9.5%).
Moreover, console producer Nintendo (-0.5%) and Sony Group, producing consumer electronics (-0.9%) are also shedding their prices.
South Korea’s Kospi index was down 0.5% by 8:32 MSK.
Shares of the world’s biggest chip and electronics maker Samsung Electronics Co. fell 0.9%, steelmaker Posco – 0.5%.
Meanwhile, stock quotes of Hyundai Motor rose by 2.9%.
Value of Australian S&P/ASX 200 index fell by 0.2%.
Capitalization of the world’s largest mining companies BHP and Rio Tinto declined by 0.2% and 0.8% respectively.
Papers of Australia’s leading wine producer Treasury Wine Estates Ltd. lost 2.1% in price.
Also, following the decline in oil prices, shares of representatives of this industry Woodside Energy and Santos became cheaper – by 0.7% and 1.1% respectively.
In January-April 2023, 16.5 thousand job seekers used the services of the Kyiv City Employment Center, of whom 12.2 thousand had the status of registered unemployed.
In January-April 2023, 2.4 thousand employers cooperated with the Kyiv City Employment Center. The vacancy database of the city employment service included 12.3 thousand job offers.
As of May 1, 2023, there were 3.3 thousand unemployed people registered and 6.1 thousand vacancies available.
Among the professions, the highest employer demand of 19.6% was for workers in the trade and services sector, namely: food sellers, sales assistants, cooks, security guards, hairdressers, educators’ assistants, mechanics-drivers, and professional specialists: teachers of general secondary education institutions, pharmacists, general practitioners – family doctors, preschool educators, engineers, practical psychologists, music directors, economists, and social workers.
There is also a high demand for skilled workers – 17.7% (seamstresses, mechanics of various specialties, electricians for the repair and maintenance of electrical equipment, installers of electronic equipment and devices, electric and gas welders, painters) and for specialists with work experience – 13% (nurse (brother), also in dietary nutrition, accountant, mechanic, teacher’s assistant, physical education instructor, electrician, educator, personnel inspector).
There is still a high demand of 12.3% for representatives of the simplest professions – workers in complex cleaning of buildings, cleaners of office premises, janitors, loaders, controllers of automatic subway checkpoints, territory cleaners, and auxiliary workers.
Among equipment maintenance workers (12%), drivers of motor vehicles, tractor drivers, railway construction machine operators, turners, asphalt workers, tram drivers, road workers, pump operators, and milling operators are in demand.
With the assistance of the Kyiv City Employment Center, 1.9 thousand people were employed.
The Joint Coordination Center (JCC) has resumed inspections of vessels coming from Ukraine with agricultural products within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Sabah reported on Tuesday.
The relevant information earlier became known to the Turkish media from the Ministry of Defense of Turkey.
As the newspaper recalls, the day before, the UN said that on Sunday and Monday there were no inspections of ships.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Defense Ministry confirmed that Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the UN will hold talks on the “grain initiative” on May 10-11.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that on May 8, Russia again blocked the work of the Grain Initiative, refusing to register vessels for entry and conduct inspections. According to the ministry, 90 vessels are awaiting inspection in Turkish territorial waters, of which 62 are vessels going in for loading. Inspections of both incoming and outgoing ships are suspended. Export of Ukrainian agro-products via the “grain corridor” did not even reach 3 million tons in April.
“Black Sea Grain Initiative” was concluded in Istanbul on July 22, 2022 with the participation of the UN, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia to create a corridor for the export of grain from three Ukrainian ports: “Chernomorsk”, “Odessa” and “Pivdenny”. The initiative was concluded for 120 days and was extended twice, most recently on March 18. However, while Ukraine claims it was extended for 120 days, Russia claims it was only for 60.
Agroholding KSG Agro in 2023, the sunflower area will be reduced by 15% compared to last year – down to 7.3 thousand hectares, the press service of the agricultural holding.
“We are fully satisfied with the weather conditions in which the sowing campaign takes place. Stock of moisture in the soil is quite sufficient. Warm weather since the beginning of May contributes to efficient seeding to get quality sunflower crops”, – noted in KSG Agroo.
During the sowing campaign there are three John Deere DB 55 sowing complexes involved, 700 hectares have already been sown with seeds from Syngenta, Limagrain and Euralis.
A year earlier, the agricultural holding sowed sunflowers on 8.4 thousand hectares. The average yield was 18 cwt/ha.
Vertically integrated holding KSG Agro is engaged in pig breeding, as well as the production, storage, processing and sale of grain and oilseeds. Its land bank is about 21 thousand hectares, which are located in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnitsky and Kherson regions.
According to Agroholding, it is one of the top 5 pork producers in Ukraine.
In 2021, the holding increased its net profit by 16 times compared with 2020 – up to $20.27 million, its earnings – by 44%, to $30.75 million, and it increased EBITDA by half – to $12.28 million. The data for 2022 has not yet been published.
The owner and chairman of the board of directors of KSG Agro is Sergey Kasyanov.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Japan assisted three Japanese companies in the purchase of 3 tons of Ukrainian down for the production of blankets, said Ambassador Sergey Korsunsky.
“Yesterday we met with the leadership of three Japanese companies that will produce blankets from Ukrainian down. Three tons of down have already been purchased and are ready for production,” he wrote on Facebook.
The Ambassador said that the blankets from the Ukrainian down with a special certificate from the Ukrainian diplomatic mission will be sold all over Japan in chain stores.
The Ukrainian embassy also made an agreement with the manufacturers that part of the profits will go to humanitarian projects in Ukraine.
“A small but successful project. The main thing is that people believe in and support Ukraine,” Korsunsky summarized.
The names of the companies are not specified.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky met with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Kiev on Tuesday.
“Now May 9 will be Europe Day – in the European Union and also in Ukraine. Today we are meeting in Kiev on this special day because Kiev is the perfect place to celebrate Europe Day. Every day the brave people of Ukraine defend the values that are the foundation of the European Union,” he wrote in his Tehagram channel.
