Yuan

The bottom line is that the "internationalization" and an increasing free float of the Yuan is bearish. And since the currency urgently needs even more devaluation as today's PBOC rate cut confirmed, this may just be the IMF's way of greenlighting even more devaluation for China's currency. And since any devaluation would lead to a surge in capital outflows, what the IMF is doing is merely blessing the Yuan's weakness while pretending it is in a position of strength, in an attempt to slow down the capital outflow as much as possible.

• China's central bank cuts rates for sixth time since November (Reuters)
• Global stocks hit two-month high on dovish Draghi message (Reuters)
• $6.5 Billion in Energy Writedowns and We're Just Getting Started (BBG)
• Alphabet, formerly Google, sets share buyback, shares jump (Reuters)
• Hurricane Patricia, Stronger Than Katrina, Nears Mexico (BBG)
• TVA Cleared to Start First New U.S. Nuclear Power Plant in Nearly 20 Years (WSJ)

Chinese stocks are not as exuberant as European, Japanese (which are rolling over), and US markets at the open as they cling to unchanged for the day and week (despite margin debt rising to a six-week high). The main event in AsiaPac trading appears to be a huge re-entry into the EUR-ANY-EM-FX carry trade as The USDollar gets pummeled against Asian FX (despite EUR weakness). PBOC weakened the Yuan fix by the most in 8 days to its lowest in 2 weeks.

After last night's bloodbathery in China, analysts and officials are out en masse to ensure a newly re-leveraged Chinese investors that the "stock plunge is a normal correction." Disappointingly, Chinese stocks are barely bouncing at the open, which is not what we can say for Japan, where the mysterious uneconomic panic-buyer-of-first-resort appeared once again and smashed the Nikkei 225 200 points higher at the open (after weakness in the US).

Much like the NBS will obscure any weakness below 7% in China’s GDP data, the PBoC will do “whatever it takes” (central bank pun fully intended) to make sure the market doesn’t get wind of the fact that there’s still a tremendous amount of pressure in terms of capital outflows. As Bloomberg reports, "The People’s Bank of China and local lenders increased their holdings in onshore forwards to $67.9 billion in August, positions that would boost China’s currency against the dollar. The amount is five times more than the average in the first seven months."

"As examples of products that were not made entirely in the US — contrary to their billing — it highlighted a sandwich bag that was produced in Thailand and a toy car that was assembled in the US with some imported parts, including a Chinese steering wheel."

• Global Stock Markets Edge Higher Though Global Growth Concerns Weigh (WSJ)
• Nikkei up 1.9% because Japan export growth slows sharply, raising fears of recession (Reuters)
• Saudis Risk Draining Financial Assets in 5 Years, IMF Says (BBG)
• Syria's Assad flies to Moscow to thank Russia's Putin for air strikes (Reuters)
• US Prosecutor Preet Bharara Probing Daily Fantasy-Sports Business (WSJ)
• Syrian army denies Russian ground forces fighting in Syria (Reuters)

26 years ago, today was envisioned as day when cars flew, holographic movies were box office hits, hoverboards roamed, and people were fired by fax. None of the happened. Instead the only "back to the future" moment this morning is a deja vu one we have seen every day for the past 7 years: bad economic news leading to surging stocks.

Since China GDP was unleashed, Offshore Yuan (CNH) has weakened significantly relative to Onshore Yuan (CNY). After over 3 weeks of 'stability' with CNY and CNH on top of each other, it appears selling pressure has reappeared suggesting outflows are on the rise (despite PBOC's best efforts to hide/manage them) which may explain why Treasuries were so relatively weak today. The "will-never-learn" Chinese investors pile in once again extending the period of margin debt increases to the most since the peak of the bubble. AsiaPac stocks are mixed with China flat and Japan higher after a mysterious bidder lifted NKY 200 points instantly at the open after disastrous trade data. China strengthened the Yuan fix after 5 days of weakness.

• Canada's Trudeau topples PM Harper in shock election win (Reuters)
• Where Canada’s Harper Hit Hurdles (WSJ)
• Pugnacious Trudeau Steps Out of Father's Shadow and Into Power (BBG)
• European Stocks Decline, Euro Rallies as ECB QE Optimism Fades (BBG)
• Valeant, Under Pressure About Price Increases, Plans Changes (WSJ)
• Syrian rebels say they receive more weapons for Aleppo battle (Reuters)

After yesterday's closing ramp "prudently" just ahead of an abysmal IBM earnings report with the lowest revenues since 2002, and the latest rally in capital markets which sent European stocks to their highest level since August on the back of a barrage of global bad data which has unleashed the Pavlovian liquidity dogs screaming for moar central bank bailouts, this morning has seen a modest decline in the Stoxx 600 driven by energy names, while S&P500 futures are set to open lower on IBM's disappointment at least until the latest massive BOJ USDJPY buying spree sends the pair to 120 and the S&P solidly in the green. The biggest political event overnight was the Canadian election, where Trudeau's liberals swept PM Harper from power, capping the biggest political comeback in the country's history; the Canadian dollar is largely unchanged after initially weakening then rising.

"Now we know why they have been pushing so hard. Maybe they were banking on more suppliers rolling over on the terms. I just worry that this is a slippery slope of them going in this direction."

UPDATE: He's back - GEITHNER: YUAN CAN BE SIGNIFICANT RESERVE CURRENCY IN LONG TERM

As everyone opined on China's 'goldilocks' GDP data all day long, perhaps the biggest news this evening was US Treasury's softer stance towards China's currency 'manipulation', as we noted earlier, saying Yuan is merely "below appropriate medium-term valuation," and sure enough offshore Yuan has strengthened since the report. China's 'official' mouthpiece Xinhua told the people it is "unnecessary to be anxious about China's economic growth." And finally, for the 8th straight day, Chinese margin debt rose today to its highest in over a month. This is the longest stretch of releveraging in 4 months - since the peak of the bubble. "Will they never learn?"

We presume the 'threat' of selling hundreds of billions of dollars of US Treasuries has prompted a softening in the "Currency manipulator" rhetoric from The US Treasuy department. Having previously said the Yuan is "significantly undervalued," today's report shifts the comment to stating that the Yuan is "below appropriate medium-term valuation." Of course, The US Treasury would know exactly how all of the world's currencies should trade in this centrally-planned world.

Despite the intense pain they are suffering in the low price Crudedome, both the Russian and Saudi governments profess for public consumption that they are committed to their volume and market share policies. This observer believes the two countries cannot long withstand the pain they have brought upon themselves - and this article only scratches the surface of the negative impact of low crude prices on their economies. They have, in effect, turned no pain no gain into intense pain no gain and set in motion the possibility neither will exit the low price Crudedome under its own power.