MSCI's global equities index lost ground on Wednesday after weaker-than-expected overseas data and as investors monitored a heating up of American-Chinese trade tensions while they awaited upcoming U.S. economic data and second-quarter earnings, Reuters reported. Investors shrugged off U.S. Federal Reserve meeting minutes released on Wednesday that showed a Fed united in its June meeting decision to hold interest rates steady to buy time to assess whether further hikes would be needed. Minutes also showed most members expecting more policy tightening eventually.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping’s elevation of a long-serving technocrat as the central bank’s top Communist Party official signals policy makers will avoid any drastic shifts for now as the world’s second-biggest economy struggles to regain momentum, Bloomberg News reported. Pan Gongsheng’s appointment Saturday as party chief of the People’s Bank of China indicates the bank will stay the course, consistent with its recent approach of only modestly cutting interest rates and encouraging banks to lend more to targeted areas.
China's factory activity growth slowed in June, a private sector survey showed on Monday, with sentiment waning and recruitment cooling as firms grew increasingly concerned about sluggish market conditions, Reuters reported. The Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) eased to 50.5 in June from 50.9 in May, indicating a marginal expansion in activity. The 50-point index mark separates growth from contraction. The figure, combined with Friday's official survey that showed factory activity extending declines, adds to evidence the world's No.
China’s central bank vowed to step up efforts to stabilize the nation’s currency after it dropped toward the lowest level in 15 years amid concern about the strength of the Chinese economic rebound, Bloomberg News reported. The People’s Bank of China said late Friday Beijing time that it will adopt “comprehensive measures and stabilize expectations” about the currency. The PBOC will also “resolutely prevent risks of big fluctuations,” it said in its quarterly monetary policy report.
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China’s long-running battle to stabilize its shaky real-estate market appears to be entering a troubling new phase, with data showing waning demand as a wave of home listings hits the market, the Wall Street Journal reported. Shoring up the market is crucial for Beijing: Real estate accounts for as much as a quarter of economic activity in China. It is also the primary source of wealth for everyday Chinese.
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The value of Chinese debt relief decreased by over 50% between 2021 and 2022, a report from Rhodium Group showed, with Angola alone receiving two thirds of deferrals despite China backing multilateral efforts to standardise support for poor countries, Reuters reported. As the world's largest bilateral creditor, China is central to talks on making tangible progress in providing debt relief to emerging and frontier markets through the Group of 20-led "Common Framework" as well as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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Chinese tech giants Tencent Holdings and Ant Group said that they would allow users to link international credit cards to their platforms, an issue that has long plagued foreign visitors as the country’s payment system has kept credit cards out for years, Reuters reported. Tencent, operator of the popular chat app WeChat and payment network WeChat Pay, said on Wednesday that WeChat users overseas can link credit cards issued by Visa Inc to their WeChat app from next month. Foreign tourists can then pay with WeChat when traveling in mainland China.
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China’s local government funding problems last year were even worse than most economists thought. At least $12 billion worse. That is the boost Chinese local governments got to their revenues after a series of fictitious sales of land and other state-owned assets, according to the country’s national audit office, the Wall Street Journal reported. The disclosure means that even the official data, which showed a sharp drop in land sales and local government revenues last year, painted a more positive picture than was accurate.
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China will continue to provide assistance "within its capabilities" for Sri Lanka's economic and social development, China Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Sunday, Reuters reported. Qin Gang, in a meeting with Sri Lanka counterpart Ali Sabry in Beijing, said China is willing to consolidate and expand the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, according to a statement on the foreign ministry's website.
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The European Commission on Tuesday unveiled a new trade doctrine aimed at curbing China’s ability to squeeze Europe’s economy, and at preventing European companies from exporting sensitive, military-linked technology that could give China an edge, the New York Times reported. The policy, still in its early stages, highlights how the European Union is seeking to align itself with the United States in limiting China’s access to sensitive markets and industrial secrets. It also reflects growing concerns about Beijing’s deepening alliance with Moscow.
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