China Economics Update Assessing the inflation risk from African swine fever The spread of African swine fever in China has brought echoes of 2007 and 2011, when major pig disease outbreaks caused spikes in pork prices and headline inflation. But improvements in China’s... 7th September 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Property developers are turning more cautious China’s land market has been on a tear during the past couple of years. But with officials now clamping down on the cash handouts to shantytown residents that have been supporting property demand... 5th September 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Efforts to prop up infrastructure investment falling short Although fiscal policy has become more proactive lately, a reluctance to turn to off-budget borrowing means that policymakers aren’t yet doing enough to arrest the slowdown in infrastructure... 29th August 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update After Mexico, could a US-China deal follow? This week’s agreement between the US and Mexico has raised hopes that the US and China could also resolve their dispute. But the agreement with Mexico underlines how much hangs on whether President... 29th August 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update State firms step in to counter private-sector outflows Private firms and individuals may have pulled capital out of China in recent weeks in response to concerns about the renminbi, trade tensions and the economy. But intervention by state banks and firms... 21st August 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Tariffs and renminbi fall won’t cause jump in inflation If carried out, China’s threat last week to expand tariffs to cover more than 70% of its imports from the US would nudge up import costs, though only very slightly. The renminbi’s recent depreciation... 7th August 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Capital Flows Monitor (Jun.) Capital outflows from China only picked up slightly in June despite the market sell-off in the second half of the month. But there are tentative signs in the early indicators that outflows accelerated... 24th July 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Loosening drive gains momentum The State Council has called for more proactive fiscal policy, including additional tax cuts. This follows further, large liquidity injections by the People’s Bank. While the direct impact of these... 24th July 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update A shift in fiscal policy is coming The Ministry of Finance is pushing back against calls to loosen policy. It may have little choice but to oblige, however, if headwinds to growth intensify in the coming quarters as we expect. 19th July 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Service sector holds up despite slower retail spending The detailed breakdown of China’s Q2 GDP data released today points toward resilient service sector activity last quarter, with the booming IT sector more than offsetting a slowdown in retail spending... 17th July 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Manufacturing dominance will cushion tariff blow China has more to lose economically from a trade war than the US. But the damage as the Trump administration expands tariffs will be mitigated by China’s high market share in many of the targeted... 12th July 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Expanded US tariffs strengthen case for policy easing The US is moving ahead with plans to impose a 10% tariff on an additional $200bn of imports from China. This will add to existing headwinds on China’s growth and is likely to trigger further policy... 11th July 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update PBOC allows renminbi to weaken The latest escalation of US threats against China has triggered a slide in the renminbi. The People’s Bank appears to have done little to resist the move so far, but it will remain wary that sustained... 26th June 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update RRR cut adds to signs of monetary policy shift Yesterday’s required reserve ratio (RRR) cut is officially intended to support banks’ debt-to-equity swaps rather than mark a shift away from deleveraging and toward monetary easing. But in practice... 25th June 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update China’s next steps If President Trump follows through on his threat to expand further the range of Chinese goods subjectto punitive tariffs, China is likely to respond quickly by targeting US firms operating in China... 19th June 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Weaker growth to trigger shift in policy soon There have been clearer signs recently that China’s economy is slowing. We expect headwinds to economic growth to continue to build over the coming months and that this will prompt the People’s Bank... 14th June 2018 · 1 min read
