Chinese economy: China’s economic outlook remains poor as imports fall 14.3 per cent September 8, 2015 It looks like we haven't seen the end of weak data from China, after new data revealed both imports and exports fell in August. China’s imports in August fell 14.3 per cent in yuan-denominated terms from last year, against an 8.6 per cent decline in July – the figure's 10th consecutive decline in imports. Meanwhile, while [...]
Chinese dragon needs to regain its fire: Falling competitiveness could be the hidden force behind the slowdown September 8, 2015 China's unravelling has had repercussions all over the world, from the $3 trillion (£1.96 trillion) wiped off global stock markets in the space of days, to fears of deflation in the UK and currency devaluations in places as distinct as Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The Shanghai stock market – which is down 40 per cent [...]
Chinese economic slowdown: The bull market has further to run, but there may be better value outside equities – CNBC Comment September 8, 2015 Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the recent correction in stock markets was hardly surprising. Even its extent and volatility were not totally absurd when you take account of a few crucial factors. The most relevant factor is that this all occurred in the summer when volumes are thinnest. Moves were therefore larger and [...]
European stocks show resilience to China market fall September 7, 2015 European markets went up today, showing resilience to yet another decline on China's key index. The FTSE 100 closed 0.5 per cent higher at £60.75, while the Germany's Dax and France's Cac 40 rose 0.7 per cent and 0.6 per cent, respectively. Read more: China's stock market turmoil could spell bad news for London [...]
China’s real crisis: It may never become a rich country September 6, 2015 I thought I smelled a rat. As I have often told my European colleagues – fond as they are of conspiracy theories about American foreign policy – they have the wrong Shakespeare play in mind: America is more Hamlet than Macbeth. By that I mean that, whereas outsiders to the policy world often assume great [...]
China’s stock market turmoil is near its end, says head of central bank September 6, 2015 Chinese stock markets have almost recovered from their fall into correction, according to Zhou Xiachuan, governor of China's central bank. During the G20 meeting of finance ministers this weekend, he said the stock market correction resulting from turbulence in recent weeks was “largely in place”, after the government took steps to stabilise the economy. [...]
G20: Finance ministers say low interest rates not enough to boost global economy September 6, 2015 Finance ministers from the world's 20 biggest economies agreed yesterday that keeping interest rates at their current low levels won't be enough to prevent a global economic slowdown. Following a two-day meeting in Ankara, Turkey, they said a coordinated introduction of other reforms was needed to encourage growth. "Monetary policies will continue to [...]
China’s economic slowdown: IMF warns central banks not to raise interest rates September 3, 2015 The IMF has warned the world's biggest economies not to raise their interest rates in the near future, as China's economic struggle could have far-reaching consequences. In a pessimistic report released last night, the international lender said the risk of a global slowdown was increasing, and that in most cases economies are falling short [...]
Market carnage: The funds that survived August’s global sell-off September 3, 2015 Traditional safe havens such as bond funds and gold were the best places to invest during August’s market carnage. Fears over slowing global growth and the potential for a wave of deflation to emanate out of China have pushed investors into areas which some commentators had recently been decrying as worthless investments – such [...]
China markets make swift recovery from low open, indicating possibility of state-backed buying September 2, 2015 After a steep fall at the start of trading, Chinese markets made a rapid recovery, with the Shanghai Composite finishing just 0.2 per cent down, while the Shenzhen Composite ended just under two per cent lower. Meanwhile, the FTSE 100 opened slightly higher, rising 0.7 per cent to 6,100 points in early trading. [...]