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☆ Asia factory activity weakens, uncertainty on China clouds outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An employee works on a production line manufacturing steel structures at a factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China May 17, 2020. The data shows that factories are producing less and hiring fewer people," Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, said of China's PMI readings, which have different samples. Export-reliant Japan, South Korea and Taiwan bore the brunt of sluggish global demand with their manufacturing activity remaining stagnant in November, surveys showed. Japan's final au Jibun Bank manufacturing PMI fell to 48.3 in November from 48.7 in October, shrinking at the fastest pace in nine months. Manufacturing activity also shrank in Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, but expanded in Indonesia and the Philippines, the surveys showed.

Persons: Dan Wang, Toru Nishihama, Leika Kihara, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, PMI, Korea Soft, P Global, Hang Seng Bank, Dai, Research, Jibun Bank, Research Institute, Thomson Locations: Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China, Japan, S, TOKYO, Europe, United States, Hang Seng Bank China, South Korea, Taiwan, Asia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

BEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Mixed factory activity data for China in November suggests more stimulus will be needed to shore up economic growth, analysts said on Friday, as two surveys came to contrasting conclusions on the sector's health. That was the fastest expansion in three months, but stands in contrast to the official PMI which fell to 49.4 on Thursday. "At face value, the average of the two is consistent with factory activity remaining largely unchanged last month," said Sheana Yue, China economist at Capital Economics. The official and Caixin surveys have different samples, with the Caixin PMI focusing on export-oriented enterprises and small- and medium-sized enterprises in the country's coastal region. Payroll cuts in the sector persisted for the third month in the Caixin survey and a ninth month in the official PMI.

Persons: Sheana Yue, Dan Wang, Xi Jinping, Liangping Gao, Joe Cash, Jacqueline Wong, Lincoln Organizations: P Global, PMI, Capital Economics, HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Hang Seng Bank China, Shanghai

☆ China factory activity unexpectedly shrinks in Oct, dents recovery momentum
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China Daily via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 31 (Reuters) - China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly contracted in October, an official factory survey showed on Tuesday, underlining the challenge facing policymakers trying to engineer a durable economic recovery. Recent indicators pointed to encouraging signs of stabilising in the world's second-largest economy, supported by a flurry of policy support measures, although a protracted property crisis and soft global demand remain major headwinds. "Although there are signs of exports bottoming out, a strong recovery in external demand is probably elusive," he added. But analysts say more policy support may be needed to ensure the economy reaches Beijing's annual growth target of about 5%. "The additional 1 trillion yuan will help in November and December," Economist Intelligence Unit's Xu said.

Persons: Xu Tianchen, Dan Wang, Nomura, Unit's Xu, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, National Bureau, Statistics, PMI, Economist Intelligence Unit, Hang Seng Bank China, JPMorgan, Moody's, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ China cuts banks' reserve ratio for second time in 2023 to aid recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China, February 3, 2020. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it would cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for all banks, except those that have implemented a 5% reserve ratio, by 25 basis points from Sept. 15. The central bank said the weighted average reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for financial institutions stood at around 7.4% after the cut. Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, cautioned to watch for a cut in Medium-term Lending Facility (MLF) on Friday off the back of the RRR cut. "That would be more significant than the RRR cut and suggest central bank is up to something," said Wang.

Persons: Jason Lee, Wen Bin, Xu Tianchen, Dan Wang, Wang, Liangping Gao, Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang, Kevin Yao, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Minsheng Bank, Xinhua, Economist Intelligence Unit, Hang Seng Bank China, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ China’s Rebound Falters, Tripped Up by Debt and Weak Exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Keith Bradsher | More About Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

China’s economy is flashing many warning signs. Weak spending is pushing China close to a dangerous trend known as deflation: Consumer prices are flat, and wholesale prices paid by companies are actually falling. “It’s not a strong recovery; the economy is quite weak,” said Wang Dan, the chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China. Some companies are also moving supply chains out of China, which will have a longer-lasting effect on exports, Mr. Fattal said. But a huge accumulation of debt, particularly at the level of local governments, has made that hard to do.

Persons: ”, Diana Choyleva, “ It’s, Wang Dan, Richard Fattal, Fattal, Lou Jiwei, Cui Dongshu, Fu Linghui, Lou, Ms, Wang, Li You Organizations: Enodo, National Bureau, Statistics, Investment, Hang Seng Bank China, National Bureau of Statistics, Administration, Customs, Companies, Workers, China, China Passenger Car Association Locations: Shanghai, London, China, Baoding, United States, Europe

BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) - China's factory gate prices fell at the fastest pace in seven years in May and quicker than forecasts, as faltering demand weighed on a slowing manufacturing sector and cast a cloud over the fragile economic recovery. "The risk of deflation is still weighing on the economy," said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, in a note. China's economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, but recent indicators show demand is rapidly weakening with exports, imports and factory activity falling in May. Food price inflation, a key driver of CPI, slowed to 1.0% year-on-year from 2.4% in the previous month. On a month-on-month basis, food prices fell 0.7%.

Persons: Zhiwei Zhang, Julian Evans, Pritchard, Dan Wang, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, Australia, Reuters, Capital Economics, Hang Seng Bank China, Bank of China, China's, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, United States, Europe, China

☆ Chinese digital currency stocks surge amid new efforts to promote e-CNY
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, April 24 (Reuters) - Chinese digital currency-related stocks jumped on Monday in a weak broader market, amid the latest measures that China is taking to promote the use of its own central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital yuan. "The development marks the latest trial China is doing to promote its e-CNY," said Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, referring to the digital yuan. Shares in Global Infotech Co (300465.SZ) soared 13% by midday, Chutian Dragon Co (003040.SZ) surged 8%, while Newland Digital Technology Co (000997.SZ) and Northking Information Technology Co (002987.SZ) also rose. However, the three people all said they don't find adequate scenarios to spend the digital yuan in their daily life. "I don't know how to use it, to be honest, no merchant around me receives digital yuan," Yang told Reuters, only giving her surname as she is not authorised to speak to the media.

Li's predicament underscores challenges for China's economically crucial services sector as it bets on a post-COVID revival. With the virus spreading unchecked across the country now, representatives from the services sector say frequent lockdowns have left them without money to expand. "There is still a shortage of labour in the services sector in the big cities, and the loss of productivity is quite obvious," said Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China. CONSUMPTION REVIVALRetail sales, a key gauge of consumption, dropped 5.9% in November from a year earlier, and catering fell by 8.4% amid broad-based weakness in the services sector. Some in the service sector say there remains some hope.

[1/3] Travellers stand by their luggage at Beijing Capital International Airport, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Beijing, China December 27, 2022. International health experts estimate millions of daily infections and predict at least one million COVID deaths in China next year. Data from travel platform Ctrip showed that within half an hour of the news, searches for popular cross-border destinations on had increased 10-fold. "International travel ... will likely to surge, yet it may take many more months before volumes return to the pre-pandemic level," said Dan Wang, Chief Economist, Hang Seng Bank China. "COVID is still spreading in most parts of China, greatly disrupting the normal work schedule.

☆ Chinese business confidence falls to lowest in almost a decade on COVID
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Dec 19 (Reuters) - China's business confidence fell to its lowest since January 2013, a survey by World Economics showed on Monday, reflecting the impact of surging COVID-19 cases on economic activity with the abrupt lifting of many pandemic control measures. The index fell to 48.1 in December from 51.8 in November, showed the World Economics' survey of sales managers at over 2,300 companies conducted Dec. 1-16. "The survey suggests strongly that the growth rate of the Chinese economy has slowed quite dramatically, and may be heading for recession in 2023," World Economics said. The survey showed business activity fell sharply in December with the sales managers indexes in Manufacturing and Service Sectors both below the 50 level. Reporting by Liangping Gao, Ryan Woo and Joe Cash; Editing by Stephen Coates and Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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