China stocks drop after party meeting; yuan, bond yields fall on rate cuts
SHANGHAI, July 22 (Reuters) -China stocks declined on Monday as investors dumped banking and energy shares following President Xi Jinping's policy goals that prioritised technology supremacy, while the yuan weakened and bond yields fell after China's surprise interest rate cuts.
There was little appetite for risk-taking after U.S. President Joe Biden decided to end his reelection campaign on Sunday, which investors said creates uncertainty and could roil global markets.
China's blue-chip CSI300 Index .CSI300 fell roughly 0.7% in early morning trading, while the Shanghai Composite Index dropped nearly 1%. The yuan edged lower against the dollar CNY=CFXS while China's 10-year treasury yields dropped roughly 1.5 basis points.
China released a policy document on Sunday outlining known ambitions, from developing advanced industries to improving the business environment. It followed closed-door meetings of the Communist Party's Central Committee, led by Xi.
"Beijing's policy mainly supports the tech sector, so financial and energy shares, which had outperformed, are falling," said Yang Tingwu, vice general manager of asset manager Tongheng Investment. "That's why we're seeing this sector bifurcation."
China's financial stocks .CSIASFI led the declines as Beijing vowed to reform the sector to aid the real economy. Investors also expect thinner margins for banks as authorities push for lower borrowing costs.
China surprised markets by lowering a key short-term policy rate and its benchmark lending rates on Monday, which some analysts interpret as Beijing's recognition of economic hardship.
Investors also dumped Chinese energy shares .CSIEN. An index tracking the sector slumped more than 3%, led by oil giants CNOOC 600968.SS and PetroChina 601857.SS.
Huang Yan, general manager of Shanghai QiuYang Capital Co said that China's energy shares are dropping as uncertainty in U.S. elections are roiling U.S. markets and impacting commodity prices.
China's tech-focused STAR Market .STAR50 and healthcare stocks .CSIHCSI rose as investors bet the sectors will benefit from reforms toward advanced technology and improved medical services.
Reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Stephen Coates
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