China Economics Update Goldilocks inflation rare bright spot for policymakers For China’s policymakers worrying about overcapacity, misplaced credit and pressures on the currency, the benign inflation outlook is a rare bright spot. We think consumer price inflation in China was... 6th June 2016 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Migrant workers reveal strains across economy The latest survey on migrant workers, who are often the first to suffer when economic and labour market conditions deteriorate, confirms evidence elsewhere of weakness in key parts of the economy. And... 3rd June 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Latest news from China unsettles commodities Another set of lacklustre China PMI surveys and recent falls in the renminbi against the dollar are weighing on the prices of many commodities again today. China’s economic recovery should still pick... 1st June 2016 · 1 min read
China Data Response PMIs (May) The PMI readings for May were underwhelming. Although they suggest that activity held up reasonably well last month, they also offer few signs of improvement. 1st June 2016 · 1 min read
China Economics Update What difference would MSCI inclusion make? A decision to include mainland Chinese shares in MSCI’s global equity indices would cause ripples rather than waves in Shanghai and Shenzhen. 31st May 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor EM growth edges up for second consecutive month Our GDP Tracker suggests that EM growth picked up for the second consecutive month in March, suggesting that fears of an imminent collapse continue to be misplaced. The latest rise was broad-based but... 27th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Activity Monitor April data dampen hopes for strong rebound The April data were disappointing after earlier signs pointed to strength in the first quarter of the year. Our China Activity Proxy suggests that growth has remained stable rather than accelerated... 26th May 2016 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Renminbi weakness needs to be seen in perspective The renewed slide in the renminbi against the US dollar may revive concerns about a broad-based devaluation of the Chinese currency. However, as we have argued before, context is everything, and here... 25th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Economics Update What is going on with the renminbi? In trade-weighted terms, the renminbi has regained some lost ground recently. But all the headlinesare about it falling to multi-year lows against the dollar. This underlines the difficult position... 25th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Can China afford to bail out its banks? China’s government has the resources to clean up the bad debts in its financial system. Even if the corporate sector were to default on a quarter of its debt and the government responded by bailing... 19th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack April data not all gloomy China’s April data have been met with downbeat headlines. This is not surprising given that growth in almost all the key economic indicators slowed last month. But the comparison between April and... 18th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Capital Flows Monitor (Apr.) Foreigners continued to pull money out of China last month. But a further slowdown in the pace of external debt deleveraging helped to keep capital outflows manageable. 17th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Data Response Activity & Spending (Apr.) Investment and retail sales softened last month but industrial output still looks healthy relative to Q1 and the property sector remains buoyant. With credit growth still accelerating we think the... 16th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Data Response Hong Kong GDP (Q1) Hong Kong’s economy contracted in Q1, with output dragged down by falls in exports and household spending. We don’t expect a major rebound in the quarters ahead as interest rates rise further and the... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Data Response Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Apr.) Many have rushed to interpret today’s below-consensus lending and credit data as signalling that a shift in policymakers’ focus back to controlling credit risks is already having an impact. While that... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
China Data Response Consumer & Producer Prices (Apr.) The recent rally in commodity prices pushed up factory gate prices and household energy costs last month. But broader price pressures remained relatively stable. 10th May 2016 · 1 min read