China's yuan dips as weak data raises bets for more easing
SHANGHAI, Sept 3 (Reuters) -China's yuan eased against the dollar on Tuesday as disappointing August factory activity data raised bets for more stimulus in the world's second-largest economy.
With markets now firmly expecting the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in September, many yuan traders said that could give Beijing more leeway to manoeuvre its own monetary policy.
"Fed rate cuts provide room for the People's Bank of China (PBOC) to ease without spurring capital outflows," said Chang Wei Liang, FX & credit strategist at DBS.
Analysts at J.P.Morgan also said that easing yuan depreciation pressure in the short term "may open the room for continuing policy rate cuts" in China.
They maintained their expectations of a 10-basis-point rate cut in the fourth quarter of this year and another reduction of the same margin in the first quarter of 2025.
As of 0306 GMT, the yuan CNY=CFXS was 0.08% lower at 7.1230 to the dollar, paring back gains after hitting a near 15-month high of 7.0825 hit late last week.
The yuan is down 0.4% against the dollar this month, and 0.3% weaker this year. It has been under pressure since early 2023 as a prolonged property crisis, anaemic consumption and falling yields drive capital flows out of yuan, and foreign investors stay away from its struggling stock market.
Prior to the market opening, the PBOC set the midpoint rate CNY=PBOC, around which the yuan is allowed to trade in a 2% band, at 7.1112 per dollar, 8 pips firmer than a Reuters' estimate of 7.1120.
Based on Tuesday's official guidance, the trade-weighted CFETS yuan basket index .CFSCNYI, a gauge that measures the yuan's strength against its major trading partners, fell to 98.15, according to Reuters calculations.
"A softer dollar environment allows for the yuan weakness to play out versus its trade peers and hence the yuan CFETS index can go lower," Christopher Wong, FX strategist at OCBC Bank.
"Economic recovery in China remains bumpy while the property market has yet to recover despite measures. Eventual recovery in yuan would require confidence to be 'repaired', economic recovery to gain better momentum and for the dollar to turn lower."
Wong added that policymakers are likely to still be pursuing a measured pace of yuan depreciation from a trade perspective. Exports have been one of the few bright spots for the economy this year but trade disputes are increasingly clouding the outlook.
The CFETS index remained up 0.75% year-to-date, but it was lost about 2.65% from a peak of 100.73 hit in April.
Currency traders said the market focus will be on the U.S. payrolls data due on Friday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell last month endorsed an imminent start to interest rate cuts in a nod to worries over the labour market. FRX/
By midday, the offshore yuan traded at 7.1259 yuan per dollar CNH=, down about 0.11% in Asian trade, while the dollar's six-currency index =USD was 0.07% higher at 101.73.
LEVELS AT 0305 GMT:
INSTRUMENT | CURRENT vs USD | UP/DOWN(-) VS. PREVIOUS CLOSE % | % CHANGE YR-TO-DATE | DAY'S HIGH | DAY'S LOW |
Spot yuan <CNY=CFXS | 7.123 | -0.07 | -0.3 | 7.1166 | 7.1236 |
Offshore yuan spot CNH=D3 | 7.1258 | -0.11 | -0.01 | 7.1145 | 7.127 |
Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Kim Coghill
免責聲明: XM Group提供線上交易平台的登入和執行服務,允許個人查看和/或使用網站所提供的內容,但不進行任何更改或擴展其服務和訪問權限,並受以下條款與條例約束:(i)條款與條例;(ii)風險提示;(iii)完全免責聲明。網站內部所提供的所有資訊,僅限於一般資訊用途。請注意,我們所有的線上交易平台內容並不構成,也不被視為進入金融市場交易的邀約或邀請 。金融市場交易會對您的投資帶來重大風險。
所有缐上交易平台所發佈的資料,僅適用於教育/資訊類用途,不包含也不應被視爲適用於金融、投資稅或交易相關諮詢和建議,或是交易價格紀錄,或是任何金融商品或非應邀途徑的金融相關優惠的交易邀約或邀請。
本網站的所有XM和第三方所提供的内容,包括意見、新聞、研究、分析、價格其他資訊和第三方網站鏈接,皆爲‘按原狀’,並作爲一般市場評論所提供,而非投資建議。請理解和接受,所有被歸類為投資研究範圍的相關内容,並非爲了促進投資研究獨立性,而根據法律要求所編寫,而是被視爲符合營銷傳播相關法律與法規所編寫的内容。請確保您已詳讀並完全理解我們的非獨立投資研究提示和風險提示資訊,相關詳情請點擊 這裡查看。