China Economics Weekly Debt woes widely known but far from priced in Moody’s downgrade to China’s rating outlook received a muted response in markets. That’s partly because the country’s economic challenges are already widely known. But the bigger picture is that... 8th December 2023 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly Fiscal boost, renminbi turnaround Government bond issuance has picked up recently but a sizeable chunk of the proceeds have yet to be spent. Local officials will be under pressure to deploy these funds as soon as possible, which could... 1st December 2023 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly Property rescue efforts intensify Policymakers want banks to lend more to developers, especially private ones. They will be reluctant to do so but are likely to comply to some degree – previous rounds of credit support for developers... 24th November 2023 · 6 mins read
China Economics Weekly State taking a bigger role in homebuilding Local governments are stepping up the construction of public housing, providing a partial offset to the downturn in developer homebuilding. One consequence is that the privatization of China’s housing... 17th November 2023 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly Chinese exporters gain market share by slashing prices Export values have been contracting year-on-year for six months. But that’s almost entirely due to price effects. Export volumes have recently risen to record levels, with broad-based price cuts... 10th November 2023 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly The renminbi’s rise in China’s global transactions For the first time, over half of China’s global transactions are being settled in renminbi. Most of this renminbi isn’t travelling far – the bulk of settlement is being driven by financial flows with... 3rd November 2023 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly Larger deficit comes with a catch Tighter oversight of off-budget fiscal activity has resulted in the first net fall in bond issuance by local government financing vehicles and policy banks in over two decades. That’s one reason why... 27th October 2023 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly GDP breakdown suggests service sector still struggling The official GDP figures show a marked acceleration in quarter-on-quarter growth in Q3. But a closer look at the data suggests that this may be a statistical mirage. We think that growth slowed last... 20th October 2023 · 4 mins read
China Economics Weekly China’s AI chip challenge The US government appears to be about to tighten the controls that it brought in a year ago on China's access to cutting-edge chips. One consequence will be that Chinese firms will find it harder to... 13th October 2023 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly PBOC has CNH on a leash, domestic tourism picks up PBOC intervention in Hong Kong kept the offshore renminbi largely stable against the dollar this week even as US yields jumped. This lowers the chance of a large adjustment to the daily fixing rate... 6th October 2023 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly Emerging industries won’t replace property The leadership's recent promotion of "new-type industrialisation" has led to suggestions that emerging new manufacturing sectors like green technology could take the place of property as drivers of... 29th September 2023 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly Foreigners staying away, consumers perking up When officials launched the “Invest in China” campaign in March, they had hoped 2023 would be the year in which foreign investment came roaring back, supported by the removal of COVID restrictions... 22nd September 2023 · 6 mins read
China Economics Weekly Too soon to conclude property easing has failed It’s been two weeks since Chinese regulators announced a major easing of property controls and so far there hasn’t been a meaningful turnaround in new home sales at the national level. But many cities... 15th September 2023 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly Huawei’s chip breakthrough Huawei’s new phone suggests that SMIC, China’s top chipmaker, has succeeded in mass-producing 7nm chips, an important step towards technological self-sufficiency. But it is too early to conclude that... 8th September 2023 · 9 mins read
China Economics Weekly A major step-up in support Stimulus efforts are finally gaining momentum. Yesterday, regulators announced measures to support households and shore up the property sector, including looser downpayment requirements and reductions... 1st September 2023 · 6 mins read
China Economics Weekly Property stimulus tea leaves, BRICS expansion The PBOC surprised analysts by keeping the benchmark for mortgage pricing unchanged this week. President Xi’s catch-phrase “houses are for living in, not for speculation”, widely associated with tight... 25th August 2023 · 6 mins read
