- Despite US tariffs, China’s September trade balance with the US reached a record high
- A number of China’s Asian neighbours have seen a deceleration in growth
- The Shanghai Composite has fallen more than 50% since 2015, the PE ratio is 7.2
- Government bond yields have eased and the currency is lower against a rising US$
During 2018 Chinese financial markets have been on the move. 10yr bond yields rose from all-time lows throughout 2017 but have since declined: –
Source: Trading Economics, PRC Ministry of Finance
Despite this easing of monetary conditions the negative impact US tariffs, continues to weigh on the Chinese stock market: –
Source: Trading Economics, OTC, CFD
Despite being a leader in frontier technologies such as e-commerce (China has 733mln internet users compared with 391mln in India, 413mln in the EU and a mere 246mln in the US) the recent decline in tech giants Alibaba (BABA) and Tencent (TCEHY) have added to financial market woes. However, as the chart above shows, Chinese stocks have been in a bear-market since 2015. Some of its Asian neighbours have followed a similar trajectory as their economies have slowed in response to a US$ strength and US trade policy.
The notionally pegged Chinese currency has also weakened against the US$, testing it lowest levels in almost a decade: –
Source: Trading Economics
Meanwhile, President Xi has now announced plans to rebalance China’s economy towards consumption, turning it into an importing superpower. Surely something has to give.
The IMF expects Chinese GDP to grow at 6.6% in 2018. They continue to point to signs of economic progress: –
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