China quarantines 760 million people–think that will have an effect on the economy?
We still don’t know if the coronavirus epidemic is slowing in China–the latest report shows deaths in China up 105 to 1,770 and the official number of cases climbing in mainland China to 70,548. Hubei province has reported 1,933 new cases, up from 1,843...
Where’s Xi? “People” are starting to wonder if his absence is a sign that the outbreak is still not under control
Chinese president Xi Jinping is NOT the face of the country’s fight against the spread of the coronavirus. He has not been pictured in the customary emergency photos visiting hospitals, doctors or patients. As the crisis ramped up, it was the premier, Li...
Citigroup forecasts coronavirus will hit China GDP hard with growth to slow to 4.8% in first quarter
That 4.8% growth in the first quarter would come after 6% growth in the fourth quarter of 2019. The bank also cut its forecast for growth for the full 2020 year to 5.5% from 5.8%. Granted this is just one forecast at a time of extreme uncertainty. But I would note...
China almost confirms January 15 deal signing
It’s not exactly a confirmation of President Donald Trump’s announcement that the Part 1 trade deal would be signed between the United States and China at the White House on January 15. But China has scheduled a high-level trade delegation for  travel to...
A lot of data for a short holiday week
Trading volumes will be low and investors attentions will be focused elsewhere than the financial markets, but this is a week with a surprising amount of market news. Tomorrow, Tuesday December 31, China announces the official Purchasing Managers Index for...
More stimulus on the way in China
It looks like looser monetary policy is on the way in China for 2020. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Monday the government will study further cutting bank reserve requirements in 2020. It’s a good bet that the Premier would have raised the possible policy...
IMF raises China growth forecast on announcement of Part 1 U.S.-China trade deal
The new head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has told China’s Caixin Global news service, that she expects the Part 1 agreement to boost China’s GDP growth to 6% in 2020. That would be an increase from the IMF’s previous...
Record Singles’ Day sales support growth optimism on China
By the time Taylor Swift closed down the festivities at midnight with the last of three songs, Alibaba (BABA) had recorded sales of $38.4 billion for the Singles’ Day e-commerce shopping monster. This year’s total beat out last year’s record $30.8...
China’s economy continues to slow in second quarter
Of course, we can’t trust China’s official GDP statistics. Government economists cook the books so that China’s growth stays within the goals set by the country’s leaders every year. But investors should pay attention to the trend. And this...
China, U.S. economic data take gloss off of trade truce
Earlier this morning–11 a.m. New York time–the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up almost 1% on news that talks between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping had resulted in a trade truce and the resumption of talks aimed at...Negative economic numbers from both China and United States this morning
I’d give the edge to China in the “Whose news is worse?” sweepstakes this morning. For April China’s retail sales rose 7.2% year over year–good news except that economists were projecting an 8.6% increase and that March showed 8.7% year...
Politburo throws some cold water on Chinese stocks
On Friday China’s ruling body, the Politburo, suggested that it thought less stimulus might be needed since the economy had recovered its footing. Instead policy should focus on deleveraging China’s banks and corporate balance sheets, and on avoiding...
Official figures show improvement in China’s economy in March
China’s economy expanded at 6.4% year over year in March. That beat the 6.3% expected by economists surveyed by Briefing.com. That projected 6.3% growth itself marked a step up in optimism about China’s economy. Other official numbers reported over night...
The Great (short-term) China Boom debate
Everybody seems to agree that things are looking up for the Chinese economy. The real disagreement is about how long this improvement might last and whether there’s any chance that the upturn might go from improvement to boom. Here’s some of the data that...
Copper meeting bullish on projected supply deficit
The big Cesco copper conference in Santiago, Chile, has been remarkably bullish considering worries about global economic growth and the Chinese economy. That’s because there looks like a significant gap in the development of new supplies in 2019 and 2020 that...
China tweaks growth target lower to 6%-6.5% from last year’s 6.6%
Against the setting of the National People’s Congress, which opened today, China’s leaders announced that the growth target for the economy in 2019 would be 6%-6.5%, down slightly from the 2018 target of 6.6%. That dip is significant since the Chinese...
I’m thinking of selling some of my China positions. But when?
As of the close on March 1, the Shanghai Composite was up 14.35% for the last month. That’s super for an economy that’s swimming in bad debt and facing a slowing global economy and lagging export demand.I think it’s fair to say that the rally in...
Today’s economic numbers from U.S. (good) and China (bad)
The first (advanced) estimate of U.S. GDP for the fourth quarter showed the U.S. economy growing at a 2.6% annual rate. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast 2.3% growth. For all of 2018 the economy grew at a real rate (that is after inflation) of 2.9% in...
China promises to cut taxes, increase spending to stimulate economy
China will cut taxes by $300 billion (or about 1.2% of GDP according to JPMorgan) in an effort to increase growth in a slowing economy, deputy central bank governor Zhu Hexin, assistant finance minister Xu Hongcai, and Lian Weiliang, vice chairman of the National...
China data nudge to global growth fears
Overnight, China reported as larger than expected December trade surplus ($57.06 billion against an expected $51.53 billion) but a December year over year 7.6% drop in imports that argued for a slowdown in China’s domestic economy. Economists had expected a 5%...
Asian manufacturing data spur stock tumble
It’s not just China anymore. Unfortunately. The Caixin Media and IHS Markit Purchasing Managers Index for China’s manufacturing sector fell to 49.7 in December  from 50.2, its lowest reading since May 2017. That confirms a trend seen in the official...
Xi’s tough talk isn’t good news for investors
Hope you weren’t hoping for good news from President Xi Jinping’s speech Tuesday to an audience of party officials, military honchos, and business leaders on the 40th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s Reform and Opening Up campaign that unleashed China’s economy. First,...
News flow a net negative this morning and stocks retreat
I recently noted that I thought stocks wanted to climb, and would through the end of the year–if news let them. Well, this morning, the news has put a big downward thumb on the scale. First off, November retail sales grew 8.1% year over year, China’s...
On eve of Trump-Xi talks China’s economy continues to slump, overnight data say
China’s purchasing managers index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector continued to slump in November, overnight data showed. The index dropped to 50, the level that marks the divide between expansion (above 50) and contraction (below 50.) The new export orders...
China’s banking system springing leaks all over
Take your pick. Either story shows the deep stress in China’s banking system at a time when China’s economy is already slowing. Story 1: After trying to regulate the Peer to Peer lending industry, Beijing has decided to shut down most of the $176 billion...
Mixed news in Alibaba’s new Singles’ Day sales record
The 10th annual Singles’ Day sales frenzy on November 11 resulted in a new record at China’s Alibaba (BABA) for one-day sales of $213.5 billion yuan ($30.7 billion.) This year merchandise sales for the world’s largest off-line and on-line shopping...
Words, yuan from Beijing push two-day rally to 7%
Friday’s disappointing GDP report did goad China’s government to action to support the stock market and the economy, as I wrote that it would in my Friday post. Words from Chinese President Xi Jinping helped continue the surge in Chinese stock prices off a...
Markets decide they have nothing to fear except Treasury auctions, Italian budget, and U.S.-China trade war
Actually, considering the list of fears today, it’s kind of remarkable that the U.S. stock market hasn’t fallen farther. (The U.S. bond market is closed for the Columbus Day holiday.) In the EuroZone the confrontation between the Italian government and the...
Wall Street sees a Trump administration trade strategy: Let’s all gang up on China
Today Wall Street and trade analysts are saying that they see a grand strategy in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal announced yesterday, in the trade deal with South Korea, and in negotiations with Japan and the European Union. The goal, this analysis says, is to put...Jim’s Daily Email Alerts:
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