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Strategies & Market Trends : John Pitera's Market Laboratory -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: John Pitera who wrote (17543)1/6/2016 11:24:24 PM
From: The Ox  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 33421
 


Chinese Stocks Halted as Weak Yuan Fixing Deepens Market Turmoil

Equity rout triggers trading halt as CSI 300 retreats 7%

PBOC cuts yuan fixing most since August amid outflow concern

The worst start for Chinese markets in two decades showed no signs of letting up after the central bank cut its yuan reference rate by the most since August, sparking a selloff in stocks that forced the $6.6 trillion market to shut early.

China’s CSI 300 Index plunged 7.2 percent before bourses were halted by circuit breakers in the first half hour of trading, while the onshore yuan weakened 0.6 percent versus the dollar to a five-year low. The People’s Bank of China cut its reference rate on Thursday for an eighth straight day, fueling concern that tepid economic growth is prompting authorities to guide the currency lower.


While a weaker yuan would support China’s flagging export sector, it also boosts risks for the nation’s foreign-currency borrowers and heightens speculation that the slowdown in Asia’s biggest economy is deeper than official data suggest. An unexpected yuan devaluation in August roiled global markets on concern the move would trigger a currency war and exacerbate deflationary pressures in the developed world.

“This is insane,” said Chen Gang, the chief investment officer at Shanghai Heqi Tongyi Asset Management Co., which manages about 300 million yuan ($46 million). “We liquidated all our holdings this morning” after stocks hit stop-loss levels, he said.

Circuit Breakers
China’s stock exchanges closed at 9:59 a.m. local time, just 29 minutes after markets opened, as the CSI 300 extended this year’s decline to 12 percent. Trading was halted for half the morning after a 5 percent drop triggered an earlier suspension. China’s markets are normally open from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a 90-minute break in the middle.

The new circuit breakers, which also kicked in on Monday, have been criticized by analysts for exacerbating declines as investors scramble to exit positions before getting locked in by the halts. Policy makers need to “gradually explore, gain experience and make adjustment” to the rules, China Securities Regulatory Commission spokesman Deng Ge said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, the market rules -- in this case circuit breakers -- aren’t allowing for people to seek a rational vantage point,” Brett McGonegal, co-chief executive officer of Reorient Group Ltd. in Hong Kong. “Once the 5 percent halt is lifted, the selling frenzy is already queued up.”


Investors Spooked
The yuan weakened 0.6 percent to 6.5927 per dollar at 11:34 a.m. local time in Shanghai. The currency rallied from early declines in offshore trading, strengthening 0.5 percent in Hong Kong amid suspected intervention.

“The yuan’s depreciation has exceeded investors’ expectations,” said Wang Zheng, the Shanghai-based chief investment officer at Jingxi Investment Management Co. “Investors are getting spooked by the declines, which will spur capital outflows.”

The People’s Bank of China has been burning through its foreign-exchange reserves to prop up the currency, with the stockpile recording its first-ever annual decline last year, as the central bank sold dollars in both the onshore and offshore markets. The support has been more sporadic since early December after China succeeded in persuading the International Monetary Fund to admit the yuan into its reserves basket.

Soft Data
China is due to report foreign-currency reserves on Thursday, with the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey predicting a $23 billion decline in December. Government data next week are forecast to show Chinese exports shrank for a sixth straight month in December. The private Caixin Media and Markit Economics Chinese services gauge fell to a 17-month low, according to a report released Wednesday.

“There have been a lot of concerns lately about the economy, with the data coming in rather soft,” said Gerry Alfonso, a trader at Shenwan Hongyuan Group Co. in Shanghai. “The volatility in the FX market amplifies those macro concerns and that’s clearly not a positive for the stock market.”

Global investors shouldn’t necessarily interpret losses in Chinese markets as a signal that the economy is worsening, according to Bloomberg Intelligence economist Tom Orlik. He said on Wednesday that early data for December point to stabilization and authorities still have room for stimulus.

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 1.2 percent on Thursday, while the MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 1.9 percent. Copper retreated 0.6 percent in London and oil slid 2.7 percent in New York.



To: John Pitera who wrote (17543)1/6/2016 11:31:30 PM
From: John Pitera1 Recommendation

Recommended By
The Ox

  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 33421
 
Chinese Stocks Halted as Weak Yuan Fixing Deepens Market Turmoil

January 6, 2016 — 8:56 PM CST

Updated on January 6, 2016 — 10:00 PM CST

Equity rout triggers trading halt as CSI 300 retreats 7%

PBOC cuts yuan fixing most since August amid outflow concern




The worst start for Chinese markets in two decades showed no signs of letting up after the central bank cut its yuan reference rate by the most since August, sparking a selloff in stocks that forced the $6.6 trillion market to shut early.

China’s CSI 300 Index plunged 7.2 percent before bourses were halted by circuit breakers in the first half hour of trading, while the onshore yuan weakened 0.6 percent versus the dollar to a five-year low. The People’s Bank of China cut its reference rate on Thursday for an eighth straight day, fueling concern that tepid economic growth is prompting authorities to guide the currency lower.


While a weaker yuan would support China’s flagging export sector, it also boosts risks for the nation’s foreign-currency borrowers and heightens speculation that the slowdown in Asia’s biggest economy is deeper than official data suggest. An unexpected yuan devaluation in August roiled global markets on concern the move would trigger a currency war and exacerbate deflationary pressures in the developed world.



“This is insane,” said Chen Gang, the chief investment officer at Shanghai Heqi Tongyi Asset Management Co., which manages about 300 million yuan ($46 million). “We liquidated all our holdings this morning” after stocks hit stop-loss levels, he said.

Circuit BreakersChina’s stock exchanges closed at 9:59 a.m. local time, just 29 minutes after markets opened, as the CSI 300 extended this year’s decline to 12 percent. Trading was halted for half the morning after a 5 percent drop triggered an earlier suspension. China’s markets are normally open from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a 90-minute break in the middle.

The new circuit breakers, which also kicked in on Monday, have been criticized by analysts for exacerbating declines as investors scramble to exit positions before getting locked in by the halts. Policy makers need to “gradually explore, gain experience and make adjustment” to the rules, China Securities Regulatory Commission spokesman Deng Ge said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, the market rules -- in this case circuit breakers -- aren’t allowing for people to seek a rational vantage point,” Brett McGonegal, co-chief executive officer of Reorient Group Ltd. in Hong Kong. “Once the 5 percent halt is lifted, the selling frenzy is already queued up.”



Investors SpookedThe yuan weakened 0.6 percent to 6.5927 per dollar at 11:34 a.m. local time in Shanghai. The currency rallied from early declines in offshore trading, strengthening 0.5 percent in Hong Kong amid suspected intervention.

“The yuan’s depreciation has exceeded investors’ expectations,” said Wang Zheng, the Shanghai-based chief investment officer at Jingxi Investment Management Co. “Investors are getting spooked by the declines, which will spur capital outflows.”

The People’s Bank of China has been burning through its foreign-exchange reserves to prop up the currency, with the stockpile recording its first-ever annual decline last year, as the central bank sold dollars in both the onshore and offshore markets. The support has been more sporadic since early December after China succeeded in persuading the International Monetary Fund to admit the yuan into its reserves basket.

Soft DataChina is due to report foreign-currency reserves on Thursday, with the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey predicting a $23 billion decline in December. Government data next week are forecast to show Chinese exports shrank for a sixth straight month in December. The private Caixin Media and Markit Economics Chinese services gauge fell to a 17-month low, according to a report released Wednesday.

“There have been a lot of concerns lately about the economy, with the data coming in rather soft,” said Gerry Alfonso, a trader at Shenwan Hongyuan Group Co. in Shanghai. “The volatility in the FX market amplifies those macro concerns and that’s clearly not a positive for the stock market.”

Global investors shouldn’t necessarily interpret losses in Chinese markets as a signal that the economy is worsening, according to Bloomberg Intelligence economist Tom Orlik. He said on Wednesday that early data for December point to stabilization and authorities still have room for stimulus.

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 1.2 percent on Thursday, while the MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 1.9 percent. Copper retreated 0.6 percent in London and oil slid 2.7 percent in New York.