Investment bank Goldman Sachs said in a Sunday memo that it believes that most Macau casino operators “may not be able to resume dividend anytime soon,” due to “either stretched balance sheets or restrictions by debt covenants”.
jan23
Só nos primeiros 19 dias de Janeiro o número de cadáveres por levantar no território, em comparação com os primeiros seis meses do ano passado, mais do que duplicou. Os números, compilados pelo HM, têm em conta os avisos publicados pelos Serviços de Saúde (SSM) na plataforma do Gabinete de Comunicação Social desde Janeiro do ano passado.
https://hojemacau.com.mo/2023/01/19/mortalidade-cadaveres-por-levantar-mais-do-que-duplicaram/
jan23
Macau recorded gross gaming revenue of MOP$42.2 billion (US$5.3 billion) in 2022, down 51.4% on 2021 and the lowest single year total since 2004.
The 2022 total, announced by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau on Sunday, included GGR of MOP$3.48 billion (US$435 million) in December, down 56.3% on December 2021 but higher than November’s GGR total of MOP$3.0 billion (US$373 million).
Macau’s final 2022 GGR result comes as the SAR faces the effects of its long-awaited reopening to the world, with a sudden easing of border restrictions countered by a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases across the city.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2023/01/01/macau-records-gross-gaming-revenue-of-us5-25-billion-in-2022-down-51-4-year-on-year/https://jtm.com.mo/local/jogo-reforcou-peso-economico-em-2021/
nov22
Mainland China resumed the issuance of eVisas to Macau from 1 November, but three weeks in there is no sign of any increase in visitor numbers as the mainland battles rising cases of COVID-19, according to investment bank Morgan Stanley.
In a Monday note, analysts Praveen Choudhary and Gareth Leung noted that near-term recovery could remain muted due to the current COVID spikes in Guangdong and elsewhere in China, effectively negating the resumption of eVisas.
“According to the Baidu Search Volume index, which tracks the incidence of keywords on Baidu search engines by Chinese Internet users (both Mobile and PCs), search volumes for keyword ‘Macau IVS’ did not increase even after e-visa channels reopened,” they wrote.
“The search volume for Guangdong users even plummeted, likely due to the high number of new COVID cases in the province (>400 new cases per day, 40% of the national total).”
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2022/11/22/no-sign-of-evisa-boost-as-morgan-stanley-revises-down-macau-estimates-for-2023-and-2024/
nov22
Macau’s Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, said on Tuesday there would be no immediate loosening of Covid-19 countermeasures, as the city will continue to follow mainland China’s strategy regarding epidemic-control goals.
“Macau has to follow China’s dynamic zero-Covid-19 policy,” stated Mr Ho, seen centre left, earlier in the day at the city’s Legislative Assembly. Visitors from a number of overseas markets would be “welcomed” to Macau, but “taking into account the epidemic situation, we must persist in the dynamic zero-case policy,” he added. The Chief Executive said however that he expected the situation to improve next year.
https://www.ggrasia.com/macau-to-keep-following-chinas-zero-covid-policy-ce/
out22
MGM China's (2282.HK) Cotai casino in Macau was locked down on Sunday after a dealer tested positive for COVID-19, city authorities in the world's biggest gambling hub said, ordering everyone inside to stay put until Nov 1.
MGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The closure deals a blow to casino operators who have already been grappling with COVID restrictions for more than two and a half years.
"Casinos, hotel staff and hotel guests will be quarantined in place immediately," the city government said in a statement, adding that all stores and restaurants attached to the hotel resort would also remain shut.
Government health workers were at the MGM Cotai site with noone allowed to enter or exit the building, industry publication Inside Asian Gaming said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/macaus-mgm-cotai-casino-locked-down-after-dealer-infected-with-covid-media-2022-10-30/
out22
Elsie Ao Ieong U admitiu num encontro com associações que no próximo ano a sua equipa deve seguir a estratégia de “prevenir casos importados e evitar o ressurgimento interno”. A secretária indicou também que será dada atenção à qualidade de vida da população em Hengqin
out22
Morgan Stanley reduced its 2022e and 2023e GGR estimates by 17 percent and 3 percent, respectively, to reflect likely ongoing travel restrictions between Macau and the Mainland in 4Q22 and 1Q23.
out22
As autoridades sanitárias reiteram que as quarentenas à chegada a Macau vão manter-se e dizem que um relaxamento das medidas de prevenção da pandemia iria provocar “um grande impacto no desenvolvimento económico e social, com um custo elevado”. Em resposta ao PONTO FINAL, os Serviços de Saúde frisam que, se o vírus se alastrar, “o sistema de saúde de Macau também poderá ter de enfrentar uma pressão sem precedentes”.
https://pontofinal-macau.com/2022/10/24/servicos-de-saude-dizem-que-alivio-das-medidas-causaria-grande-impacto-no-desenvolvimento-economico-e-social/
out22
Continuing uncertainty around the timing of any potential easing of mainland China’s zero-COVID policy has seen CBRE Equity Research downgrade its Macau EBITDA estimates for 2023, down from US$1.88 billion to US$1.45 billion.
In a Thursday note following publication of Las Vegas Sands’ 3Q22 financial results – which saw the company’s Macau subsidiary Sands China report a widened US$152 million EBITDA loss – analysts John DeCree and Max Marsh said they currently assume Macau will recover to 50% of pre-COVID levels next year but suspect that number will “more likely need to be revised downward than upward given China’s commitment to zero-COVID.”
“While we remain hopeful that group tours and e-visas get reinstated by the end of the month or early November, it remains unclear if visitation to Macau will accelerate given Beijing’s unwavering commitment to its zero-COVID policy,” they said.
https://www.asgam.com/index.php/2022/10/21/cbre-lowers-macau-2023-ebitda-estimates-on-covid-zero-uncertainty/
outy22
A leading figure in the creation of China’s management policy for Covid-19, implied in comments to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) that the country’s ‘dynamic zero-Covid’ policy could continue beyond the first quarter next year.
Liang Wannian, who has been a head official on the National Health Commission’s Covid response expert team, said – in response to a specific question from a CCTV journalist – there was no timetable for easing the policy, even subsequent to the so-called ‘Two Sessions’ gatherings next year.
That was a reference to the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislative body, and that of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body. The gatherings are usually held every March in Beijing.
https://www.ggrasia.com/china-expert-on-covid-policy-says-no-timetable-on-easing/
Out22
China shows no sign of easing its “dynamic zero-Covid” policy regarding community management of Covid-19 infection risk, and it may persist into next year, with the potential for continued impact on Macau’s casino sector, said local gaming scholar Wang Changbin in comments to GGRAsia.
The term “dynamic” is understood to be an indication by the mainland authorities of the need for mass-testing and if necessary lockdowns, but on a rolling basis, depending on when and where outbreaks occur.
The country’s leader, President Xi Jinping, has several times made public announcements about the necessity and efficacy of the policy. Some investment analysts covering Macau gaming had surmised the policy might ease after the imminent staging in Beijing of the National Congress of the ruling Communist Party.
https://www.ggrasia.com/china-zero-covid-policy-may-persist-to-2023-macau-scholar/
