China Economics Weekly Trade truce wouldn’t avert further fall in RMB, equities Expectations are low that Presidents Xi and Trump will resolve their differences at the G20 summit, but a temporary truce that puts on hold the planned US tariff hike in January is possible. In this... 23rd November 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly FDI defying trade tensions, property price data quirks The recent strength of direct investment into China is a reminder that, despite rising US tariff barriers, the country remains an attractive destination for foreign firms. Even so, policymakers... 16th November 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Tariffs weigh on imports, but boost exports A closer look at the trade data for October bolsters our suspicions that firms have been frontloading shipments from China to the US. Meanwhile, President Xi opened this week’s import expo with an... 9th November 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Politburo signals policy support The Politburo statement this week gave a clear signal that further policy support for China’s economy is on the way. But with headwinds building, we don’t expect to see clear signs of economic... 2nd November 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Equity rout hurts lending, scant relief for private firms Policymakers are worrying about the widespread use in China of shares as collateral for lending – for good reason. But the remedies announced this week are unlikely to make much of a difference as... 26th October 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly PBOC restarts FX sales, state media get new buzzword The PBOC has been hiding its efforts to support the renminbi over recent months. But a release this week showed the clear hand of the central bank: the PBOC’s balance sheet for September reveals the... 19th October 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Equities have further to fall, lacklustre “Golden Week” The stock market sell-off this week is a reminder that Chinese equities won’t be immune if, as we expect, the S&P 500 falls sharply next year. Meanwhile, data on tourism and retail spending during the... 12th October 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly PBOC facing RMB test, tax crackdown intensifying The People’s Bank faces a test when it sets the renminbi fix on Monday morning. With onshore markets closed for the past week, a wedge has opened between where the renminbi last stood onshore and its... 5th October 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly PBOC stands pat, on-budget fiscal support maxed out The People’s Bank clearly doesn’t feel under great pressure to “follow the Fed”. It left its policy rates on hold this week after the US Fed raised rates and we expect it to cut rates in the coming... 28th September 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Markets surge, China considers import tariff cuts China’s financial markets shrugged off this week’s confirmation that both the US and China will be expanding their tariffs on Monday, with the Shanghai Composite actually having its best week since... 21st September 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly China settling in for long haul on trade Both sides in the US-China trade dispute have struck a more conciliatory tone in recent days. The White House has proposed renewed high-level talks. Meanwhile, Chinese officials are rowing back... 14th September 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Inflation fears overdone, more policy tweaks Chinese consumers appear to have become more worried about inflation recently. But these concerns may reflect a broader sense of unease among households in response to a weakening labour market rather... 7th September 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Trade war or cold war? The end of the summer in Beijing has brought with it a hardening of views on the trade dispute with the US. Increasingly, tariffs are being seen not as negotiating ploys to win run-of-the-mill... 31st August 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly National team falls flat, pork jitters, policy “irrigation” The benchmark Shanghai Composite equity index this week returned to the low point reached in the equity collapse of early 2016. Official efforts to shore up the market have proved predictably... 24th August 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Property prices defy curbs, PBOC props up the RMB One bright spot in the generally downbeat economic data released this week was a further acceleration in property sales and prices last month. The pick-up was driven by China’s smaller cities, where... 17th August 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Weekly Cuts to official policy rates are coming soon Market interbank rates have now converged with those offered by the People’s Bank in its lending operations. We think the central bank will soon start cutting these official policy rates in order to... 10th August 2018 · 1 min read
