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Markets Stumble After China Slashes Growth Target For 2015, Warns "Downward Pressure Growing"

Tyler Durden's picture




 

You wouldn't know it if you looked at the price of oil, but arguably the world's largest economy just unloaded a kitchen sink of fears, warnings, and downgrades on its economy; the most notable being:

  • *CHINA SETS 2015 GDP GROWTH TARGET AT ABOUT 7% (from 7.5% in 2014)

In a report to be delivered to the government tonight, Premier Li Keqiang warned China may face more economic difficulties in 2015 vs 2014 and downward economic pressure is still growing (despite Western 'analysts' proclaiming China fixed). The currency is weakening on the news and AsiaPac stocks are lower and as Chinese stocks open lower (despite hints at more easing), millions of newly minted "can't lose" Chinese investors begin to worry.

 

 

Among the most notable headlines:

  • *CHINA SETS 2015 GDP GROWTH TARGET AT ABOUT 7%
  • *CHINA TARGETS ABOUT 6% TRADE GROWTH IN 2015
  • *CHINA MAY FACE MORE ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES IN 2015 VS 2014
  • *CHINA'S ECONOMIC DOWNWARD PRESSURE IS STILL GROWING: LI
  • *CHINA MONETARY POLICY MAY EASE FURTHER IN 2Q: CHEN YULU

 

  • *CHINA WILL BUILD ADDITIONAL 7.4M UNITS OF PUBLIC HOUSING
  • *CHINA TO EXPAND YUAN'S GLOBAL USE: LI KEQIANG WORK REPORT
  • *CHINA TO INCREASE TWO-WAY YUAN FLEXIBILITY
  • *NO NEED TO WIDEN TRADING BAND THIS YEAR, CHEN YULU SAYS

And the reaction...

The offshore Renminbi is 160 pips weaker than its early morning levels and gapped 50 pips weaker on the growth target cut...

 

Chinese Stocks are lower...

 

But can you spot the moment that the world's largest economy took an ax to its economic forecast for the year in the oil chart below?

 

*  *  *

Just two short weeks ago, one of Beijing's official mouthpieces printed a story which seems to have pre-empted much of this with a warning from no lesser person than Lu Lei, the head of the research bureau of the People's Bank of China, the central bank.... As ChinaDaily reports, strcutural adjustments may cause a liquidity squeeze...

The nation is paying a price for economic structural adjustment, reflected in commercial banks' surging nonperforming loans. To avert further risks, the People's Bank of China may take measures to control the expansion of debt.

 

Difficulties are increasing for the central bank to manage liquidity. The traditional measure of increasing money supply based on the position for foreign exchange purchases is no longer efficient, and the uncertainty of capital flows is increasing.

 

Amid slower economic growth, a rise of commercial banks' NPLs will lead to liquidity problems, which will cause volatility and influence interbank interest rates.

 

However, it is unlikely that we will see a systemic liquidity crisis, although there may be a short-term liquidity squeeze.

 

Macroeconomic policies have different target periods.

 

For the short term, they focus on maintaining moderate liquidity. In the medium term, the policy emphasis will be on fiscal and financial reform. And in the long term, the target will be to reshape the sustainable growth model.

 

The policies should avoid aggressive stimulus, accelerate the deleveraging process and drive structural reforms.

 

Monetary policy fine-tuning is likely according to changes in the economic situation, with a preference for maintaining reasonable market liquidity and providing a neutral financial environment for industrial upgrading.

 

The reforms of the exchange rate and interest rate systems will continue and encourage fair competition in the financial markets.

 

China's economic growth rate may remain stable at a relatively lower level in 2015, between 6.9 and 7.1 percent, restricted by sluggish demand.

 

Fixed-asset investment is likely to slow further, restrained by the gloomy real estate market and a moderation in local governments' drive to invest. Consumption growth will become more stable.

 

Upside risks will mainly come from the growth in external demand, but a trade surplus will result because of a decline in imports rather than growth in exports.

 

The biggest medium-term uncertainty for the economy is deflation risk.

 

The Consumer Price Index may remain low under the pressure of a weakening economy. It is difficult to anticipate any rise in the Producer Price Index, as the structural rebalancing process has progressed slowly and overcapacity is still a serious issue for manufacturers.

 

As global commodity prices may remain low, imported deflation may deepen in 2015.

 

Cross-border capital flows will become more complicated as the European and Japanese central banks pursue monetary policies that run in opposition to those of the United States, and the dollar is expected to further appreciate.

*  *  *

Can anyone in America (or Europe) imagine a central banker speaking so forthrightly about the possibility of turmoil?

 

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Wed, 03/04/2015 - 21:29 | 5856096 Jack Burtan
Jack Burtan's picture

No surprise.

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 21:49 | 5856182 johngaltfla
johngaltfla's picture

Hey wow, we're getting more and more like them every day, ever hour!

The Ominous Parallels Between the USA and Communist China

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 21:33 | 5856115 G.O.O.D
G.O.O.D's picture
Downward Pressure = Fvkin Collapse bitchez.
Wed, 03/04/2015 - 21:33 | 5856116 yogibear
yogibear's picture

And the US economy is going ganbusters...

What a joke. The people on CNBS must be on drugs. Just like the people believing it.

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 21:34 | 5856119 yogibear
yogibear's picture

-

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 21:36 | 5856131 Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill's picture

Lower the lifeboats.

Thu, 03/05/2015 - 07:18 | 5856946 Arnold
Arnold's picture

First stop drilling holes in the bottom to let the water out.

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 21:38 | 5856142 Dadburnitpa
Dadburnitpa's picture

Who gives a shit what they say?  They'll report whatever BS number they dream up and the pigmen will lap it up.  It's all pretend anyway.

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 21:49 | 5856184 Clowns on Acid
Clowns on Acid's picture

China is merely warning the US and their neo Bolshevik puppets on Europe that their agreesion toward a war with Russia is not to be pursued.  Now is the time for that intial 10 % correction in the Equity markets... as a warning.

After that ... market rebounds.... maybe...

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 22:03 | 5856235 post turtle saver
post turtle saver's picture

"You wouldn't know it if you looked at the price of oil..."

how so? oh yeah, if you're looking at single day charts... the oil price already knew this some months ago, which is why it's at where it's at now and not at $US 100+ bbl

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 22:21 | 5856296 wrs1
wrs1's picture

It's still 7% growth, what kind of negative news is this supposed to be and why would that be bad for oil?  Obviously 7% growth is still going to produce growth in demand for oil.  The hate for oil on this forum is amusing.  Even more amusing is that gold just can't get out of it's own way, it keeps tripping over it's own feet at 1210 and stumbles below $1200 only to scrabble back to that level.  What's going to happen when it fails to scrabble back?  GOR is still too high, you better hope oil keeps rising so gold doesn't have to fall.

Thu, 03/05/2015 - 01:20 | 5856676 anomalous
anomalous's picture

Agreed, 7%, China has what.. 700 million people emerging from primordial ism into quasi-modernity? Do the math.

Thu, 03/05/2015 - 00:29 | 5856612 SweetDoug
SweetDoug's picture




And didn’t we just hear that filthy arab, Ali al-Naimi, yabbling his psychopathic ßµ££$?φ, telling the world what he thinks it wants to hear, while going and doing whatever he wants, that there is growing demand from Asia?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/25/us-markets-oil-idUSKBN0LT08620...

"Markets are calm now ... demand is growing," said Naimi

ßµ££$?φ!

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