As news emerged that Iran enriched uranium to 84 percent, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held top-level secret meetings on preparations to confront Iran.

Israel’s Channel 12reported on Tuesday that Netanyahu met five times in recent weeks with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Mossad head David Barnea, Military Intelligence chief Aharon Haliva and other military figures to examine Israel’s readiness for a possible attack on Iranian nuclear targets.

Netanyahu also reiterated his previous calls on Tuesday that the international community must act to stop Iran’s escalation.

“The only thing that has ever stopped rogue nations from developing nuclear weapons is a credible military threat or a credible military action,” he told a national security conference. “A necessary condition and often a sufficient condition is credible military action. The longer you wait, the harder that becomes. We’ve waited very long.”

Successive governments have warned that Israel will not tolerate a nuclear armed Iran and in recent weeks closer military cooperation and diplomatic coordination have been noticeable with the United States.

US officials have been increasingly signaling that President Joe Biden will not tolerate a nuclear Iran, after JCPOA talks hit a dead-end in September. “If they start getting too close, too close for comfort, then of course we will not be prepared to sit idly by,” US Special Representative for Iran Robert Malley told National Public Radio in November.

If Tehran has indeed produced a limited quantity of uranium at 84-percent purity, it can signal a possible intentional escalation to put pressure on the West for concessions in nuclear talks. Tehran has been using this tactic since 2019, and specially since 2021 when the Biden administration signaled its readiness to hold talks.

The Times of Israel wrote about Netanyahu’s meetings with military and intelligence officials that “The report, which was not attributed to any source, included few other details about the discussions, and may itself be designed to telegraph the seriousness of Israeli threats to resort to military action in order to shut down Iran’s suspected drive toward a nuclear weapon.”

However, the Channel 12 report said Netanyahu’s meetings resulted in a decision that Israel will act alone if others do not step in. This decision was shared with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

If Israel’s intention is to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic, beleaguered by political and economic crisis, the timing might have been right. This week a serious financial chaos has gripped the country as its battered currency is falling to unprecedented levels against major currencies and panic has gripped the markets about uncontrollable inflation in the weeks to come. This in turn can ignite more popular protests and unrest.

Iran, having missed a chance last August to come to an agreement with the Biden administration over reviving the 2015 JCPOA deal, now finds itself under siege and has to decide to escalate its nuclear confrontation further or make the necessary concessions.

But since the breakdown in the nuclear talks, Washington has been playing hard to get, saying that it is not focused on resuming nuclear negotiations and demanding that Iran should stop military cooperation with Russia and repression at home.

To what extent the new demands are serious pre-conditions, or a negotiating tactic, is not clear, but after the Iranian regime killed hundreds during protests and supplies drones to Russia, it would be politically costly for Biden to simply revive the 2015 nuclear deal and lift sanctions.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202302229941

NEW DELHI, Feb 1 (Reuters) – India proposed on Wednesday 5.94 trillion rupees ($72.6 billion) in defence spending for the 2023-24 financial year, 13% up from the previous period’s initial estimates, aiming to add more fighter jets and roads along its tense border with China.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated 1.63 trillion rupees for defence capital outlays – an expenditure that would include new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware, as she unveiled nearly $550 billion of total federal spending in the annual budget for 2023-24 starting in April

https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-raises-defence-budget-726-bln-amid-tensions-with-china-2023-02-01/

Australia is expected to buy up to five US Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines in the 2030s under the AUKUS defence pact between Washington, Canberra and London.

Earlier reports by US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, are expected to be confirmed by Australia tonight.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is yet to speak publicly about the supposed $100 billion deal, but will meet with other world leaders next week.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/aukus-update-nuclear-powered-submarines-deal-to-create-ten-thousands-jobs/f2b65469-d7ca-468b-938b-e67c131a3aaa

apan has approved its biggest military buildup since the second world war, warning that China poses the “greatest strategic challenge ever” and outlining plans to develop a counterstrike capability funded by record defence spending.

The plans, announced by the government on Friday, reflect growing alarm over a more assertive Chinese military and a North Korean regime that continues to improve its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

But the changes have also triggered criticism that Japan is abandoning more than seven decades of pacifism under its postwar constitution.

Japan aims to double defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next five years, in a departure from its postwar commitment to keep spending at 1% of GDP.

The increase would bring it into line with Nato countries and make it the world’s third-biggest spender on defence after the US and China.

Under the changes, outlined in three documents, Japan will also acquire new weapons that can strike enemy targets 1,000km away with land or sea-launched missiles, a move some believe violates its war-renouncing constitution.

Article 9 of the constitution, drawn up by US occupation forces after the second world war, renounces war and forbids Japan from using force to settle international disputes. Its military, known as the self-defence forces, is limited to a strictly defensive role. But critics say that has left Japan ill-equipped to respond to present-day security threats posed by China and North Korea.

While Japanese voters have traditionally been skeptical about direct revision of the constitution, public support for a more robust military has grown in since the Ukraine war and amid fears that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could pose a threat to Japan’s security.

One of the documents, the national security strategy, said Japan faced “the severest and most complicated national security environment since the end of the war” and singled out China as “the greatest strategic challenge ever to securing the peace and stability of Japan”, as well as a “serious concern” for Japan and the international community.

The US ambassador in Tokyo, Rahm Emanuel, welcomed the strategies as “a momentous milestone” for US-Japan relations and for making a “free and open Indo-Pacific” an achievable reality.

Debate has also swirled around plans to allow Japan’s self-defence forces to carry out counterstrikes against enemy bases overseas, a capability some have said is essential to counter the potential threat posed by North Korean missiles.

Japan’s government has renamed what is known as a preemptive strike to “counterstrike capability,” apparently to emphasise that it would be used strictly in self-defence when the country is confronted with signs of an imminent attack.

Despite a nuanced wording of the strategy, the main threat is China, for which Japan has had to prepare “by using North Korea’s threat as a cover”, said Tomohisa Takei, a retired maritime self-defence force officer.

Despite the government consensus on the nature and severity of threats to Japan’s security, the ruling Liberal Democratic party is divided on how the increase in defence spending should be financed.

The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has opposed calls to use government bonds to help pay for the defence outlay, estimated at ¥43tn ($320bn) over the next five years, opting instead to gamble on tax rises that his party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, endorsed on Friday.

But the tax increases could prove unpopular. In a poll conducted last month by Fuji TV, 66% of respondents opposed higher taxes to pay for a bigger military.

Money will be spent on upgrading Japan’s missile defence and buying up to 500 US-made Tomahawk missiles, media reports said. It would eventually deploy more than 1,000 long-range cruise missiles able to reach North Korea or coastal areas of China, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

Japan is also expected to strengthen its military presence in its southernmost islands, tripling the number of military units and equipping them with the ability to intercept ballistic missiles, according to media reports.

The more forceful tone in the national security strategy is expected to anger China. The document, revised for the first time in almost a decade, identifies Beijing as a regional security threat and no longer states that Japan is seeking a “mutually beneficial strategic partnership” with China.

This week, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged Japan to “act upon the political consensus that the two countries are cooperative partners and do not pose a threat to each other”.

“Hyping up the ‘China threat’ to find an excuse for its military buildup is doomed to fail,” Wang said.

The new strategy represents a pronounced shift in Japan’s military posture, said Chris Hughes, professor of international politics and Japanese studies at Warwick University.

“The Japanese government will depict these changes as necessary, moderate and wholly in line with previous defence posture,” said Hughes, author of Japan as a Global Military Power. But, he added, “they are going to, in the words often used by the Liberal Democratic party itself in policy documents, ‘radically strengthen’ Japan’s military power.”

The self-defence forces will be reorganised, with the army, navy and air force placed under a joint command to respond more quickly to emergencies.

Agencies contributed to this report.

• Russia launched one of its biggest aerial assaults Thursday with 81 missiles targeted at Ukrainian infrastructure across the country. This included six Kinzhal ballistic missiles that eluded Kyiv’s air defenses, the Ukrainian military said. At least 11 people were killed.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an exclusive interview with CNN, said he could not envisage meeting President Vladimir Putin as the Russian leader can’t be trusted.

https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-03-09-23/index.html

The Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate steady at 4.5 per cent Wednesday, pausing its year-long campaign to increase borrowing costs while leaving the door open to further rate hikes if inflation doesn’t slow as quickly as expected.

The widely anticipated decision makes the Bank of Canada the first major central bank to halt monetary policy tightening and puts it on a different trajectory than the U.S. Federal Reserve, whose officials have said they expect to increase interest rates several more times.

Bank of Canada holds key interest rate steady for first time in a year. Here’s what’s next

The Bank of Canada has raised its overnight rate eight consecutive times since March, 2022, hammering the housing market and squeezing Canadians’ finances in an effort to cool demand in the economy and slow the pace of price growth. While inflation remains high, bank officials believe they have done enough to guide it back down to the bank’s 2-per-cent target over time.

“Restrictive monetary policy continues to weigh on household spending, and business investment has weakened alongside slowing domestic and foreign demand,” the bank said in its one-page rate announcement.

“With weak economic growth for the next couple of quarters, pressures in product and labour markets are expected to ease. This should moderate wage growth and also increase competitive pressures, making it more difficult for businesses to pass on higher costs to consumers.”

Wednesday’s decision puts the central bank in a holding pattern. However, the bank emphasized that this is a “conditional” pause, and that it is prepared to raise rates again if inflation proves stickier, or the economy proves more resilient

“The Bank of Canada needs a clearer picture on growth and inflation prospects to decide if it needs to hike again or more definitively set aside that prospect,” Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce chief economist Avery Shenfeld wrote in a note to clients. “And with so little time since its last decision, it simply doesn’t have enough data to make that call.”

Interest rate swaps, which capture market expectations about future rate hikes, are pricing in another quarter-point rate increase this summer, and no rate cuts before the end of the year.

Consumer price inflation has dropped steadily since hitting a four-decade high of 8.1 per cent last June. The Consumer Price Index grew 5.9 per cent year-over-year in January, while shorter-term measures suggest core inflation is running at about 3.5 per cent.

The bank expects CPI inflation to fall to about 3 per cent by the middle of the year.

Much of the decline in inflation has come from falling oil prices, as well as a drop in durable goods inflation, thanks to lower shipping costs and less consumer demand. For inflation to keep falling, there will also need to be a slowdown in service price inflation, which is driven to a large extent by wages.

Interest rate changes work with a lag, meaning that much of the impact of last year’s rate hikes has yet to be felt. This is expected to change in the coming months, as more homeowners renew their mortgages at higher rates and consumers cut back on nondiscretionary spending.

The bank is projecting near-zero economic growth through the first half of 2023. Governor Tiff Macklem has said that Canada could experience a “mild recession” in the coming quarters – a view shared by many Bay Street analysts. Market-based signals are flashing warning signs about an impending slowdown, with the yield curve for Government of Canada bonds deeply inverted.

So far, the economic data is mixed. GDP growth stalled in the fourth quarter of 2022, coming in well below the central bank’s forecast. Much of this weakness came from slower business investment in inventories, rather than a drop in consumer spending. However, the bank notably dropped its reference to the Canadian economy being in “excess demand” from the Wednesday rate announcement.

Meanwhile, the labour market continues to defy expectations. Canadian employers added 150,000 positions in January, 10 times what Bay Street analysts had expected. The unemployment rate remained at 5 per cent, near a record low, while wages continue to grow by 4 per cent to 5 per cent on a year-over-year basis. February labour force survey data will be published on Friday.

“While it’s great news for the more than 220K Canadians who have found jobs in the past couple months, central bankers think it’s become too much of a good thing,” Royce Mendes, head of macro strategy at Desjardins Securities, wrote in a note to clients.

Mr. Macklem has argued that the current pace of wage growth is not consistent with the bank’s 2-per-cent inflation target, and has said that unemployment needs to rise to get price growth back under control.

The bank’s decision to hit pause puts it at odds with the U.S. Federal Reserve, which appears to be gearing up for several more interest rate hikes. That divergence could put downward pressure on the Canadian dollar in foreign exchange markets.

On Tuesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told a Senate committee that U.S. interest rates would likely need to move higher than previously anticipated in the face of persistent inflation and surprisingly strong economic data. He also said the pace of rate hikes may need to increase, opening the door to another half-point increase at the Fed’s next rate decision on March 22.

Some economists argue that the Bank of Canada is justified in halting rate increases before the Fed. Inflation is lower in Canada, and the combination of higher household debt levels and shorter mortgage terms means the Canadian economy is more sensitive to rising borrowing costs.

Still, further weakness of the Canadian dollar – which has already fallen considerably against the U.S. dollar since last summer – would increase the cost of imports, adding to inflation.

“The ability to chart a different course than the Fed comes down to the exchange rate,” Mr. Mendes wrote. “The Canadian dollar has depreciated 3 per cent since the beginning of February. That could eventually push inflation higher, but apparently not enough in the view of central bankers to offset the risks of raising rates higher in [a] country where households are so heavily indebted.”

Wednesday’s decision is good news for the housing market, said Karen Yolevski, chief operating officer at Royal LePage, a real estate company. She said increased certainty around mortgage rates may bring would-be buyers back into the market, potentially supporting home sales volumes and prices this spring.

“People want some certainty around what they’re going to pay, and they are looking to see where those rates settle down,” Ms. Yolevski said in an interview.

“And in terms of mortgage holders, certainly for those who have variable rate products there’s a sigh of relief that the interest rate has remained steady this time around,” she said.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday warned that larger interest rate hikes may be necessary amid stubbornly high inflation, raising fresh uncertainty about whether the central bank can tame inflation without tipping the U.S. economy into recession.

Mr. Powell’s commentary during a hearing in Washington rattled stocks, bonds and commodities that have been struggling for direction over the past several weeks, as unusually strong economic data underscored concerns that previous rate hikes haven’t slowed activity.

Financial markets now expect there is more than a 65 per cent chance of an aggressive half-percentage point interest rate increase by the Fed later this month, up from about 30 per cent probability of such a move before Mr. Powell’s remarks, according to Reuters.

The S&P 500 Index fell 1.5 per cent. In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 1.2 per cent, while the crude oil price slumped about 3.8 per cent.

Bond yields, which move in the opposite direction to prices, moved higher. That echoed the turbulence of 2022, when the Fed and other central banks raised their key interest rates aggressively in a battle to contain soaring inflation.

“The latest economic data have come in stronger than expected, which suggests that the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated,” Mr. Powell said in his prepared statement, his last scheduled public remarks before the Fed announces its next rate decision on March 22.

U.S. hiring remains strong, with employers adding 517,000 positions in January, while the unemployment rate is at its lowest level since 1969. Adding to concerns, the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, the core personal consumption expenditures price index, rose by 4.7 per cent in January, year-over-year, up from 4.6 per cent in December.

“If the totality of the data were to indicate that faster tightening is warranted, we would be prepared to increase the pace of rate hikes,” Mr. Powell added.

Last month, the Fed raised its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point, to a range from 4.5 per cent to 4.75 per cent.

This marked a less aggressive move – the Fed raised its rate by half a percentage point in December and three-quarters of a percentage point in November – which some investors interpreted as a signal that the rate-hiking campaign was nearly over.

Financial markets implied that the key rate would peak at 4.9 per cent, with cuts following as inflation slowed toward the Fed’s 2-per-cent target. Now, financial markets are reflecting a different scenario.

“It’s higher for longer, and maybe faster, for rates. Whether the economy’s resilience can withstand more rate hikes will be seriously put to the test,” Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns, said in a note.

He added: “It’s a tough, no-win situation, and one that usually doesn’t end well for the economy.”

Mr. Powell’s comments put Canadian central bankers in an awkward position. In January, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem announced a “conditional pause” on further rate hikes, and the central bank is widely expected to hold its benchmark rate steady at 4.5 per cent at its rate decision on Wednesday.

Some economists argue that the Bank of Canada is right to press pause earlier than the Fed. Inflation is lower in Canada than in the United States. Likewise, higher levels of household debt and shorter mortgage terms make the Canadian economy more sensitive to rising borrowing costs.

Still, if the Fed keeps hiking while the Bank of Canada stands pat, that could put downward pressure on the Canadian dollar, increasing the cost of imports and adding to inflation in Canada.

Financial markets have been sensitive to shifting perceptions of Fed monetary policy.

The S&P 500 rallied about 10 per cent from early January to early February on expectations that the Fed might pull off a so-called soft landing, in which rate hikes cool inflation without causing a recession, leaving corporate profits relatively unscathed.

But the rebound in stocks has faded in recent weeks, as economic data suggested that the central bank’s work is not done. The S&P 500 has fallen nearly 5 per cent from its 2023 high. The S&P/TSX Composite has fared better, though it is down about 2.3 per cent over the past three weeks.

Similarly, bond yields began moving higher again in early February, reversing encouraging declines in December and January as signs of moderating U.S. inflation and economic activity emerged.

Following Mr. Powell’s remarks on Tuesday, the yield on the two-year U.S. Treasury note jumped above 5 per cent, hitting a new multiyear high.

Oil prices fell further on Wednesday, after having fallen between 3.5 percent and 4 percent Tuesday on concerns that aggressive rate hikes may dent demand for fuel in the U.S.

The downside remained capped after industry data showed an unexpected draw in U.S. crude oil inventories.

Benchmark Brent crude futures slipped 0.4 percent to $82.98 a barrel, while WTI crude futures were down 0.4 percent at $77.26.

The dollar scaled multi-month highs against most other major currencies, weighing on commodity prices including oil.Risk aversion gripped financial markets after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers the U.S. central bank would be prepared to reaccelerate the pace of rate hikes if the economy grows too quickly.

The Fed’s next monetary policy meeting is scheduled for March 21-22, with CME Group’s FedWatch Tool currently indicating a 70.5 percent chance of 50 basis point rate increase.

Meanwhile, weekly data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showed U.S. crude inventories fell by about 3.8 million barrels in the week ended March 3.

However, there has been an almost equal amount in increase of gasoline and distillate inventories, which rose by 1.8 million barrels and 1.9 million barrels, respectively.

Market participants await crude inventory data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration later in the day for further direction.

NON-RATING ACTION COMMENTARY

Canadian Banks’ 1Q23 Provision and Expense Growth Offset Rate Benefit

Mon 06 Mar, 2023 – 12:31 PM ET

Fitch Ratings-New York/Toronto-06 March 2023: Canadian banks’ recently reported results reflect incremental normalization of performance measures post-pandemic, as incorporated in Fitch’s ratings and outlook. The largest Canadian banks’ January fiscal first quarter earnings were materially down yoy on a reported basis, driven by a one-time windfall tax, litigation-related provisions at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) and Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) and costs related to recently closed or upcoming acquisitions by Bank of Montreal (BMO) and TD. Excluding these, and other adjusting items, results were largely flat yoy. Adjusted return on average assets across the seven largest banks, including Desjardins Group (DESJ) which reported as of December 2022, averaged 0.8%, unchanged from the year-ago quarter.

Loan growth remained strong, at or near double digit levels yoy, particularly in commercial portfolios. However, on a qoq basis, the pace of loan growth slowed significantly, especially in personal lending, as credit demand responded to the 425 bps in cumulative rate hikes since March 2022. A number of banks reported quarterly contractions in credit card balances and consumer loans for the first time since 2021.

With the exception of National Bank of Canada (NBC) and Desjardins Group, yoy loan growth outpaced deposit growth, which together with an unfavourable mix shift in deposits, compressed net interest margin across most institutions. Average firmwide net interest margins declined by approximately 6 bps qoq and 5 bps yoy. More asset sensitive TD was the exception, having progressively expanded its adjusted margin by 25 bps relative to 1Q22.

Average bank provisions for credit losses, as a share of loans, were 22 bps as of quarter end, largely flat versus the prior quarter, after stepping up from single digit levels from mid-2021 to mid-2022. Banks continued to guide to normalization of credit losses over the near term, and are expected to close the gap with pre-COVID provision ratio levels over the coming quarters (approximately 12 bps). Impaired loan ratios also ticked upwards modestly qoq, by roughly 2 bps on average, in line with Fitch’s expectations.

Mortgage quality remained largely benign, notwithstanding a housing market correction and materially higher debt service costs for renewing borrowers. Year-over-year non-interest expense growth outpaced adjusted revenue growth at most institutions, reflecting personnel costs and an elevated pace of technology investment. However, many banks guided to peaking expense growth and recommitted to positive operating leverage for the full fiscal year.

In terms of segment performance, revenue growth was broad based, with strong performance in Canadian personal and commercial banking (growing approximately 12% yoy on aggregate). Capital markets revenues also ticked upward by 2% yoy, as recovering sales and trading helped offset continued weakness in investment banking. Wealth management revenues similarly increased broadly yoy, benefitting from higher net interest income in private banking, which helped offset lower net sales and fee income from the market-driven contractions in assets under management.

Common equity Tier 1 (CET1) levels continued their rapid normalization to pre-COVID levels, as anticipated. Bank of Montreal, which closed its acquisition of Bank of the West after the end of 1Q23, guided to a CET1 ratio of 11.5% by 2Q23, and 12% by fiscal year-end. TD, which reported a pro forma 15% CET1 ratio following its Cowen acquisition on March 1, similarly guided to a CET1 ratio well in excess of 11% after it closes on its expected acquisition of First Horizon Corporation (FHN).

TD disclosed that a delay in regulatory approval had extended closing on FHN beyond the May 27, 2023 horizon of its merger agreement. In terms of Basel III regulatory capital reforms, which will be implemented as of fiscal 2Q23, banks guided to a small or moderately positive benefit to CET1. Royal Bank of Canada’s estimated benefit from the new rules was at the higher end, at 70 to 80 bps.