The ultimate guide to live streaming
With over 57% of marketers live streaming their content, it’s not hard to see why brands are jumping into the streaming business. But for plenty of brands and content creators, learning how to live stream can be a hurdle.To get more news about 39bet-xổ số hôm nay-kèo cá cược-lego-cò quay-blackjack, you can visit official website.
There’s no shame in admitting the technical side of live streaming can be, well, pretty technical to understand for the majority of us.
Don’t lose hope! In this guide, we’ll unpack all the complicated business of streaming. We’ll walk through how to set up a live stream, what gear to consider, and how to get it set up.
We’ll also tackle how to find the right streaming platform and share tips for a stable internet connection when live streaming.In other words, your live streaming process includes CED or capturing audio and video content, encoding it, and distributing it using a live streaming platform.
You probably noticed there’s lots of gear and live streaming software involved. We’ll address those first, then share the details on how to set everything up.Building a streaming setup for beginners is pretty simple. You’ll need a camera, mic or microphone, lighting, and a stable internet connection.
You’ll also need to get your (digital) hands on some live streaming software. More on that in a bit. For now, let’s get started with the live streaming equipment you’ll need.
A webcam, point and shoot, camcorder —all will work for live streaming as long as the camera you use is able to capture a minimum of 720p at 24fps footage.
Audio
Even if the video quality of your live stream is up to par, your audience will check out if the audio quality is poor.
So don’t overlook your live stream’s audio quality. That’s why Gott advises, “Don’t rely on the built-in microphone on your camera, invest in a proper one.”
Lighting setup for live streaming
Okay so you now have most of the tech list that partly answers how to live stream. But there’s another essential aspect that you can’t skip — lighting for streaming.
A well lit stream can help your live video look more professional and help you engage your audience. Think about it: you don’t want your viewers to cringe at how poorly lit your live streaming setup is and you certainly don’t want the overhead lights in your office to cast harsh shadows on your speakers or presenters.
Free TV Apps to Download Now
As cable subscription prices rise higher and higher and customer satisfaction ratings dive lower and lower, cutting the cable has never been more popular.To get more news about 39bet-đua chó-game giải trí -đá gà-đá gà trực tuyến-đánh bài, you can visit official website.
Sure, there are the usual big names in streaming services available for a monthly fee, but it’s possible to kick subscription fees entirely.Luckily, there are more options than ever for replacing your traditional cable setup. Many free streaming services have stepped up to offer access to content overlooked by subscription-based services.
And you aren’t confined to squinting at your phone’s screen or gathering the family around the old iPad to watch your favorite TV series and movies — you can download apps to your Smart TV or even your Xbox or PlayStation consoles.
Of course, there are some rather shady options out there that stream pirated content. But we’ve rounded up free, legal streaming apps that provide no-strings-attached cable-cutting solutions.
1. Crackle
One of the go-to names not just in free streaming but in streaming video in general is Crackle. The cost-free service has a variety of content, ranging from classic TV shows like “Bewitched” and “Barney Miller,” as well as the newer “The Uncommon History of Very Common Things” series. It also has hundreds of films from major studios.For a free streaming service, Crackle’s library is truly impressive. Crackle even has a handful of original series to its name. Best of all, Crackle works on nearly all mobile devices, streaming boxes and smart TVs.
2. Tubi TV
A division of FOX Entertainment, Tubi TV has deals with major studios like Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Lionsgate. It also features lots of foreign and independent productions.
Tubi TV’s library is updated regularly, and the service claims to add new content every week. The Tubi TV app works on more than 18 devices, including Android and iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, Samsung Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV.
The library is solid and has started offering popular Fox TV series like “The Masked Singer” and “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back.”Since the service is ad-supported, you can expect to watch a couple minutes of ads every 10 minutes or so. The experience is pretty similar to watching normal television.
3. Pluto TV
Pluto TV offers TV channels of linear content much like a cable package
There are dozens of classic TV, movie and sports channels — and even some highly curated streams of niche content.If you’re looking for breaking news, you can choose from an assortment of major network news channels that are live streaming.The kids (or kids at heart) can check out Nickelodeon classics like “The Fairly Odd Parents” and “Dora the Explorer.”
4. NewsON
Streaming video isn’t always just about entertainment. The NewsON app provides hundreds of local and national news streams.Both live TV and on-demand news broadcasts can be streamed from over 275 local news affiliates in 165 markets. The broadcasts are available for up to 48 hours after they air, so even if you don’t catch the news as it happens, you can catch up later.
5. PBS Kids
Kids need free streaming content, too. PBS has a PBS Kids Video app that provides hundreds of hours of educational and enriching content for the youngest members of the family. The app has a colorful, child-friendly interface, which makes it easy for kids to take control themselves.You can even tap the “Live TV” button to watch what’s currently airing on your local PBS station.
6. Xumo
Whether you want it now or later, Xumo offers live TV and on-demand options.
Like Pluto, you can choose from an assortment of major network news channels like NBC News that are live streaming.
7. Crunchyroll
Anime and manga fans are likely already familiar with Crunchyroll. It specializes in mostly Japanese content, but it also features films and series from all over the world. Crunchyroll boasts a library of thousands of anime films and series, many of which are hard to find on other streaming services.
Best Live Streaming Apps for Events
The categories I looked at are extremely wide. It is like comparing oranges with apples in some cases. Comparing a get together with friends and a 20,000 attendee convention is the same exercise, yet they are both events. I highlighted only the features that matter to make a quick decision if you are unsure about what to pick for live streaming events.To get more news about 39bet-xsmb-xổ số tây ninh-xổ số binh phước-xổ số binh dương-xổ số đồng nai, you can visit official website.
I spent as much time as possible on all of them. In some cases, I used free trials, when not possible I’ve seen online demos and/or attended them in person. The following analysis is personal and represents my opinion. By no means it is indicative of the value of the app.
Platform Compatibility. Is the live streaming app available on Desktop and Mobile? Mac, PC, Android and iOS?
Event Tool. What features of the live streaming app are appealing to event professionals? Does it have purpose-built tools for live streaming events specifically?
Advanced Features. How complex is the platform? Does it offer video uploading, monetization, video on demand, pay per view, multiple bitrate handling, etc? This is where to best quality live broadcasting apps come to the fore.
Integration. Does the live streaming app offer integration with popular broadcasting software or popular social networks?
Virality. Social media friendly live streaming apps offer the biggest chance to go viral. How is the streaming app likely to create a viral opportunity for your content to spread? Is it a closed or open environment?
Usability. How easy is the platform to use? Is the user experience pleasant? Does it walk you through how to live stream?
Editorial Rating. My personal opinion on the potential of the platform and actual potential for events. Not as a standalone app.
Overall Rating. The average from all of the scoring criteria combined to rank the best live video streaming apps – overall.
The Top 5 Livestreaming Apps for iPhone Users
The livestreaming industry is expected to bring in $70 billion in 2021. 80% of viewers said they’d rather watch a livestream from a brand than read their blog. And livestreams hold viewers’ attention up to 20 times longer than pre-recorded content. There’s no question that livestreaming is a compelling tool and one that shouldn’t be overlooked.To get more news about 39bet-xì dách-phỏm miền bắc-tiến lên miền bắc-xóc đĩa-game bắn cá, you can visit official website.
1. Larix Broadcaster
A favorite among users for its simplicity and effectiveness in creating professional-looking livestreams from a simple device, Larix Broadcaster is free on the app store. You can use both the front and back cameras, stream to RTMP servers, and auto-archive broadcasts. Larix keeps it simple, with no aspect ratio adjustments or multi-camera setups available. Still, it’s one of the easiest and most efficient ways to broadcast to a variety of destinations, including your own website.
2. Facebook Creator Studio
If you’re streaming to Facebook, there’s no reason not to use Facebook itself. The Creator Studio app allows livestreaming on the fly, which is by far the easiest way to jump on Facebook Live from anywhere you may be. Your followers will be notified that you’re online, and you’ll be able to interact with them via comments. Of course, Creator Studio isn’t for livestreaming anywhere else – for that, you’ll want to go with another choice from this list.
3. nanoStream
nanoStream is also free and available on the app store as an iPhone or iPad app. nanoStream can also connect to destinations that ingest RMTP streams, which makes it flexible like Larix. However, nanoStream gives you the option to go vertical (great if your users are mostly using phones), achieve low-latency streaming in HD, and even use external cameras or drone video.
4. Twitch
For gamers, Twitch is the most popular streaming platform and the obvious choice if gaming is where you live. Twitch is free to download and use, and you have the opportunity to make money directly in the app via subscriptions, ads, and donations. Twitch is a great choice for more than just gamers – anyone who wants to quickly create a recurring livestream with the opportunity to build a long-term user base and income can use Twitch – as long as you’re willing to compete with a lot of other streamers.
5. Wirecast Go
If you’re looking for the ability to create a custom-branded, high-quality livestream, Wirecast Go is chock full of features many other streaming apps don’t have. This app includes integrated chat functionality, two-shot switching, and text and image overlay in the free version. The paid version adds RTMP streaming, instant replay, and unlimited shot switching. The companion app, Wirecast Cam, lets you wirelessly connect to a desktop or laptop running the desktop app, which gives you a host of broadcast features like green screens and shot mixing.
Share Your Content Now
There’s never been a better time to share content online, and you can get started livestreaming with one of these apps right away. Livestreaming is a great way to build an audience for almost any business, and once you’re rolling, you may want to take it up a notch.
If you’re ready to go even further and create a professional video platform -- including on-demand video, livestreams, subscription models, and anything else you can dream up -- contact MAZ today to get started.
Fed’s go-slow approach likely to keep USD weaker
A sleepy mountain resort amid the ski fields of Wyoming becomes the focus of the currency world’s attention for a few days every year. It’s host to an economic symposium sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City that attracts central bankers and finance ministers from around the world to prognosticate on the big issues of the day. This year’s event was held virtually due to Covid-19 but it was scrutinised just as closely by market participants.To get more news about KCM柯尔凯思, you can visit wikifx.com official website.
Jackson Hole is known for wild variations in temperature, but in his keynote, US Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell served up a “not too hot, not too cold” speech that markets lapped up.
Powell had been trying to find the middle ground amid a Federal Reserve Board that is becoming increasingly split between hawks – those who believe interest rates should rise – and doves who believe they shouldn’t.
The hawks are particularly concerned that the continued use of quantitative easing (QE), a method of purchasing bonds to stimulate the economy – must end soon. Otherwise, the central bank could “really get into trouble” if it followed a “go-slow” approach to fighting inflation.1
But the doves feel that moving too fast, too soon could derail the US’s economic recovery, particularly as the virulent Delta strain sweeps through the country.
The market had expected Powell to side more with hawks and give a clearer view of when the Fed would start ‘tapering’ QE and putting upward pressure on interest rates. Indeed, so sure were hedge funds that Powell’s statement would cause the US dollar to rise that they invested heavily in the outcome, pouring $US8.4 billion into the US dollar in the lead to the symposium, compared to just $800 million the previous week.2
It was the culmination of a 3% rise in the greenback against a basket of currencies over the last three months, and an indicator of the strengthening of the US economy relative to peers.
Instead, Powell split the middle between the doves and the hawks by flagging the need for tapering but without setting a timetable for when.
As OFX Treasurer Sebastian Schinkel notes, “Powell somehow managed to acknowledge both sides of the equation and although he conceded on tapering, he made it clear that it will not translate into interest rate hikes ‘for which we have articulated a different and more stringent test’”.
That sent the US stock market to new highs and caused bond yields to fall as investors cheered the prospect of continued stimulus. (A higher stock market and lower bond yields are typically both correlated to a lower US dollar.)First, the Delta variant continues to impact the US economy, with the Southeast particularly badly affected. Many workers still haven’t returned to offices, meaning central business districts still haven’t fully recovered. Consumer sentiment recorded its biggest fall in a decade3 in August as the high infection rate quashed hopes of a full reopening.
A record number of job openings is also crimping the economy, as workers continue to stay home out of fear for their health, or because unemployment benefits continue to be generous relative to pre-Covid.4 The Federal Reserve has stated that it will keep rates accommodative until it sees the economy return to “maximum employment”5, a subjective term which is more based on art than science. Disappointing August employment figures indicated the Fed is still yet to reach that target. That hiring gap along with supply chain issues due to Delta is filtering through to higher inflation. Fuel, food and many services are seeing price spikes,6 another factor behind tumbling consumer sentiment.
So, the Federal Reserve needs to determine whether rising inflation is an issue that will need to be controlled with interest rates or if it is just a transitory phase as the economy returns to normal.
Growth rates remain high at 6.6% annualised, according to the latest quarterly data and in a normal world the Fed would be putting on the brakes by raising interest rates. That would likely push the US dollar higher relative to peers but, for now, it appears the Fed is less worried about the economy getting too hot than the prospect of it going cold.
Silk Fibroin Based Formulations as Potential Hemostatic Agents
Effective hemorrhage control is indispensable for life-threatening emergencies in defense fields and civilian trauma. During major injuries, hemostatic agents are applied externally to mimic and accelerate the natural hemostasis process. Commercially available topical hemostatic agents are associated with several limitations, e.g., burning sensation, necrosis, futile in severe injuries, and high costs of the products. In the present study, we developed silk fibroin fiber-based formulations and evaluated their use as a cost-effective potential hemostatic agent with shortened clotting time. To get more news about stop the bleed, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
Silk fiber-based powder was produced following the alkaline hydrolysis process, wherein Bombyx mori silk fibroin fibers were treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution that randomly chopped the silk microfibers. Physicochemical reaction parameters, e.g., reaction temperature, molarity of NaOH solution, and incubation time, were optimized to achieve the maximum yield of microfibers. The surface properties of alkaline hydrolyzed silk microfibers (AHSMf) were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray studies. The water uptake capacity of AHSMf and the change in pH and temperature (~30 °C) during blood clotting were analyzed. Further, the hemostatic potential of AHSMf was evaluated by an in vitro whole blood clotting assay using both goat and human blood. The in vitro studies demonstrated a reduced blood clotting time (CT = 20–30 s), prothrombin time (PT = ~27%), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT = ~14%) in the presence of AHSMf when compared to silk hydrogel powder (devoid of NaOH). Thus, the developed AHSMf could be a promising material to serve as a potential hemostatic agent.
Professional Service Robots
The market value of logistics robots sold or leased was up 110% to 1.9 billion U.S. dollars. Almost all of the logistics turnover was generated with robots for indoor use. Autonomous mobile robots have initially been used in warehouses but with digitalization of production, they are also part of today’s smart factory. Therefore, a continued strong turnover growth of 40% or more per year seems possible. “The investment in service robots for logistics in manufacturing processes is amortized rapidly,” says IFR President Milton Guerry. “Assuming 24 hour operation, the investment in service robots for logistics may be repaid within 2‐3 years and often much quicker. Given a 15 year lifetime, operating costs are around 5% of the annual investment. Highly developed systems often provide operational availability in the 98% plus range.”To get more news about Robotics as a Service, you can visit glprobotics.com official website.
The trending Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) business models lower the hurdle for customers to automate with robots. The benefit is not to invest in hardware, so the companies have no fixed capital, no fixed costs and no need for robot operators. The use of logistics systems in non-manufacturing industries has been strongly driven by warehouse solutions for major e-commerce companies. A strong potential can also be found in hospitals running their logistics with the help of professional service robots. In the segment of professional service robotics, about 90% of the sampled logistics robots were produced in Europe and North America - about 10% in Asia.
The segment of field robotics consists of robots for agriculture, dairy, livestock farming and other field applications. Sales value increased by 3% to USD 1.3 billion U.S. dollars. The Covid-19 pandemic might have an impact for further supply of such robots. Travel restrictions for workers from Eastern Europe for instance, who usually travel to Western Europe in harvest season, caused a shortage of labour supply. Farmers might compensate this with the use of field robots. Sales value growth rates of more than 30% for agricultural robots seem possible.
Service robots for personal and domestic use, which are produced for a mass market, are mainly in the areas of household robots. This include vacuuming and floor cleaning robots, lawn-mowing robots or entertainment robots. The total number of service robots for personal and domestic use increased by 34% to more than 23.2 million units sold in 2019. The value was up 20% to 5.7 billion U.S. dollars. Unit prices for the two major segments, robot vacuums and toy robots, have been declining in recent years. Today, basic robot vacuums are already available for less than 100 U.S. dollars. 75% of the sampled domestic service robots - vacuum and floor cleaners, lawn mowers and other domestic robots - were produced by American companies in 2019. Asian companies had a share of 19% - European companies of 6%.
A growing market is the use of assistance robots for elderly or handicapped persons. The estimated sales value increased by 17% to 91 million U.S. dollars. Numerous national research projects in many countries focus on this huge future market for service robots. In contrast to most entertainment robots, these robots are high-tech products.
The Evolving Electronic Lock
Hotel technology is often divided into three categories; technology for the guest, technology used internally, and technology that bolsters hotel relationships with the high tech world. Perhaps more than any other hotel industry supplier, electronic door lock manufacturers have demonstrated a commitment to each of these areas of product development. To get more news about best smart locks wifi, you can visit securamsys.com official website.
The evolution of the electronic door locking industry began with guest security, and expanded to increase operational efficiencies available to property management through access control and system integration. The industry now stands poised to enter the new millenium as a major technology provider, positioning hotels as key players in an era of increased electronic commerce.
Few inventions have had such widespread and practical appeal to the hospitality industry. Since the introduction of the recodable electronic door lock in the late 1970's, hotel security has been virtually transformed. The focus at the time of inception was increased guest security, but the benefit to the property was quickly realized. Hotel security experts, along with media pundits, the courts, and the insurance industry all agree - keycard locks, which can be easily changed so that every guest gets a new key, are the best way to boost security. In fact, there is speculation that by the end of this decade, hotels that do not feature electronic locking mechanisms in guestrooms will be unable to obtain insurance. Even the simplest of key card locks have been found to reduce break ins by up to 80%, reminding us that effective guestroom security is an essential part of the hospitality package.
Employee access control was one of the first system enhancements to increase the level of internal technology. In order for a property to be maintained efficiently, hotel personnel require their own means of entry to rooms in which they must perform daily routines or tasks. In the past, distribution of conventional keys to housekeepers, room service attendants, and maintenance personnel compromised guest belongings and increased the liability of the hotel. In some instances of theft, the victim was often the hotel (where even the negligent customer is king), and claims went unchallenged. The "burden of proof" is welcome by a hotel equipped with modern electronic locks, for the actual lock serves as a log, monitoring and recording up to 1,000 entries (about 100 days worth). Many reputations have been restored and many a thankful employee has been cleared of suspicion due to the success of these products. Employee key cards can be coded to allow access only to their assigned units of responsibility and only during the hours of their shift. Knowledge of these system capabilities may also serve as a deterrent to those less ethical.
At ILCO UNICAN, true on-line security systems are giving hotel operators even greater peace of mind. Tom Caudill, VP of Sales and Marketing Worldwide for Lodging Products, describes the additional safety features of a monitoring system providing the status of every lock in the hotel. Information conveyed by this system can be used to determine the occupancy of a room, which can be communicated with energy management systems. Doors left ajar transmit an alarm, and a courtesy call ensues. Master keys can be disengaged instantly from the main console, without having to delete the sequence from each lock, (a tedious task deplored by the Director of Security).
Smart card" is a generic term for a card the size and thickness of a credit or debit card embedded with a microprocessor chip. The chip itself has intelligence and computational power similar to that of early personal computers. These powerful processing capabilities make smart cards much more secure than other types of cards presently in use. They can handle encryption techniques that protect the information stored on the cards.
Think of a smart card as a very small personal computer belonging only to you. Because it's small enough to fit in your wallet, it's portable. And like a personal computer, it can be programmed to serve many different purposes and do many different things. Smart cards are currently being used to secure financial transactions, as stored value cards, for insurance identification, to store medical information and to personalize cellular phone communication from anywhere in the world. The beauty of the smart card is that it can offer all of these applications with considerable information storage capacity and security.
Phil Wilder, Director of Marketing for San Diego-based Computerized Security Systems, believes that the value added by smart card technology offers the hotel operator "a revolutionary new way of marketing and merchandising to the guest". In a world moving towards one-to-one marketing, smart cards hold the capability to customize and better serve individual needs. The smart card can carry information that is only yours, such as travel preferences and loyalty program account information. Programs and incentives are easily tailored to guests based on their own usage patterns of hotel services. Smart cards can also provide more privacy and security in accessing payments and information services, because the microprocessor chip that holds the information cannot be easily duplicated.
Pros and Cons of Electronic or Mechanical Safe Locks
If you want to get the pros and cons of electronic safe lock over a mechanical safe lock, then you should ask any locksmith or someone who regularly uses safes. You will get various opinions and answers. Some people have practical and valid reasons why they prefer one safe lock over the other. At times, it’s because of familiarity with one safe lock and practicality is not put into so much thought. In this blog, I will consider in on the argument, if at all there is one.To get more news about wifi smart door lock, you can visit securamsys.com official website.
The above factors are some of the things to consider and that affect electronic or mechanical safe lock’s choice. Other considerations are time delays, attack resistance, dual-factor authentication, UL listings, among many others.
Normally, however, even when electronic locks fail, mechanical locks remain functional. In the same way, electronic safe locks are not well-engineered to endure lock installers or end-users. Broken power connections, spoiled keypads, and pinched data cables are very mutual. The failure of electronic locks is more today than the past shortcomings of mechanical safe locks. Though the electronic safe appears to be everywhere, they are not ready for the majority.
Generally, I recommend mechanical safe lock in most cases over the electronic safe lock. I find electronic locks not to have long-term reliability.
The mechanical lock holds up well under abuse by the end-user and does not depend much on environmental and external factors. It also does not depend on fixed batteries supply. It will work even many years after installation and operates quietly. The general security of the safe lock counterweights the problems associated with ease of access.
I install Amsec Electronic safe locks weekly and use them in place of electronic locks from other brands. These Amsec models are more comfortable to program and use, and robust compared to other similar models. They have a high demand from my customers as well as corporate management policies.
Electronic locks fit well in cases that do not require maximum operational interruption. Also, setting the combination requires just a few minutes. The safe lock has an inbuilt time delay options that are essential in theft or robbery defence, though under pressure this is not beneficial. Electronic safe locks are very useful with cash control.
In cases where many persons will require to access the safe regularly, electronic locks for controlled constituent security are excellent. I do not highly recommend them for personal locations unless the key supply is stored using a mechanism with a high-security key lock. In such a case, you can move the materials needed for a static period to electronic storage. Then you can resupply them through authorized personnel.
For short-term requirements that need to be accessed daily, electronic safe locks are the best. On the other hand, mechanical safe locks are great when it comes to long-term operation due to its reliability and capacity to function even when everything else fails.
China’s COVID lockdown ripples through financial markets
For more than a decade, Apple has been one of those companies whose earnings continually impress investors and analysts alike, in a near-continuous cycle of good news. In April, that changed.To get more news about HYCM兴业投资, you can visit wikifx.com official website.
Despite the company posting one of the best quarters in its 46-year history, investors were shocked to hear a dire prediction from CEO Tim Cook. Instead of its usual bullish outlook, Apple warned that the company could see sales decline by as much as $US8 billion due to the impact of China’s renewed lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID.1
Apple is just one of many major companies concerned that China’s zero-COVID policy would have a material impact on their business. Not only is supply of key goods going to be affected by the closure of factories and the ban on transport to affected areas, but the Chinese consumer market has been hit hard by the shutdown, significantly crimping demand and the country’s growth prospects.
According to investment bank Nomura, about a quarter of the country’s population — some 344 million people — are in some form of lockdown. It’s a massive drain on the economy, causing output to fall 3.5% in March, while restaurant consumption is down 16%.2
By May 2, the impact on China’s industrial production had been confirmed. China’s factory output had slowed to its lowest level since February 2020 — effectively the height of the pandemic.3 The scale of China’s heavy-handed response to COVID numbers is now hitting home for markets, and currency markets have been particularly worried.
On April 25, the Renminbi (RMB) slumped against the US dollar as investors digested the severity of the lockdown and feared that the lockdown would spread to Beijing. From being one of the most powerful currencies last year, China’s yuan fell more than 4% in April, its biggest monthly drop in 28 years.4
The stock market has also been hit. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index troughed at more than 20% down year-to-date, while the tech-heavy SZSE Composite Index was down 31%. At the end of April China’s stocks were the worst performing globally, with the exception of Russian indices.5 And as foreign investors sell down their holdings, switching out of the RMB to repatriate to their own currencies, this creates downward price pressure on the RMB.Restrictions in China have stalled demand for the raw materials consumed in Chinese factories, and the so-called commodity currencies linked to them.
As the lockdown took hold and factories shut down, the Australian dollar reversed its upward trajectory and turned comprehensively downward. From a peak of 75.88 USD on April 5, the AUD has fallen nearly 6% as investors contemplated the impact of a shutdown on demand for Australian commodities like iron ore.
Iron ore prices had risen 77% between November 2021 and March this year as factories ramped up to meet growing global demand. But by the middle of March, demand had already started to wane and by May the price of iron ore, as recorded at the port of Qingdao, had fallen 10% and major mining companies like BHP fell in unison — BHP shares lost 10% in just a month.
The New Zealand dollar has also underperformed. As a major trading partner to both Australia and China, its currency shed more than 7% in April.
Note, however, that there are two sides to this equation, and the US dollar is currently outperforming other major currencies given it is seen as a ‘safe haven’ option while the war in Ukraine rages and economic uncertainty lingers. The rate of growth and rising inflation in the US also continue to put upward pressure on interest rates, a key booster of currencies.