Forex reserves climb for 2nd month
CHINA’S foreign exchange reserves rose for a second straight month in April, central bank data showed on Saturday, as fears about a weak yuan and capital outflow eased amid increasing signs of stabilizing economic growth.
China’s foreign exchange reserves ended April at nearly US$3.22 trillion, up US$7.1 billion from March and beating market expectations of US$3.2 trillion.
This marked a second month of increases following the unexpected rise in March that put an end to a falling streak since November, according to data from the People’s Bank of China.
“A second month of rising reserves shows fears of cascading capital outflows are disappearing into the rear view mirror,” said a note by Bloomberg economists Tom Orlik and Fielding Chen.
Until recently, concerns about capital outflows had been on the rise as the economy slowed and the Chinese currency had fallen since China revamped its forex mechanism last year.
But the resumption of stability in international financial markets and positive signs in the domestic economy have eased the pressure of capital outflow since the start of this year.
The Bloomberg economists attributed the relative stability in the reserves to a stable yuan, which dropped 0.38 percent against the US dollar over the month, and rising property prices and stable equity markets that have given speculators a domestic asset to park their wealth in.
Signs of returning life in the real economy and policymakers’ assurance on yuan stability also played a role.
The strength of the US dollar has been weakening following the dovish stance of the US Federal Reserve, enabling the yuan to hold steady. On the domestic front, increasing signs of a stronger recovery in China’s economy also supported the yuan’s strength.
However, the Bloomberg economists pointed out that as anticipation of a Fed move builds up dollar strength in the months ahead, China’s central bank will face the more difficult task of managing the yuan without triggering a fresh round of market panic and capital exit.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
- RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证:沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证:31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证:0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证:沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证:沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.