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☆ LPR: China makes biggest-ever cut to key mortgage rate to support housing market
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s central bank has cut its key mortgage reference rate by a record amount, as it ramps up efforts to stem a prolonged property crisis. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) announced Tuesday that it would cut its five-year loan prime rate (LPR) from 4.2% to 3.95%, while keeping the one-year LPR unchanged at 3.45%. The 25 basis point cut to the five-year LPR is the biggest reduction the central bank has made since it revamped its LPR system in 2019. The latest cut was also the first reduction to the five-year LPR since June 2023. “Today’s 25 (basis point) cut to the five-year LPR is clearly aimed at supporting the housing market,” analysts from Capital Economics said in a note on Tuesday.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, People’s Bank of China, Capital Economics, Zhongrong Trust, State Administration of Foreign Exchange Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ China wealth manager Zhongzhi flags insolvency, $64 bln in liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Nov 23 (Reuters) - China's Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, a leading wealth manager, told investors it is heavily insolvent with up to $64 billion in liabilities, threatening to reignite concerns that the country's property debt crisis is spilling over into the broader financial sector. The firm, which has sizable exposure to China's real estate sector, apologised to its investors in a letter that said it had total liabilities of about 420 billion yuan ($58 billion) to 460 billion yuan ($64 billion). The liabilities compared to Zhongzhi's estimated total assets of about 200 billion yuan, according to the letter, which was issued on Wednesday and was seen by Reuters. 'ENORMOUS' HOLESigns of trouble at the Zhongzhi group first came to light in July when Zhongrong International Trust Co, a leading trust company controlled by Zhongzhi, missed payments on dozens of investment products. "The Zhongzhi group deeply apologises for the losses caused to investors.

Persons: Zhongzhi, Xu, Xing Zhaopeng, Christopher Beddor, Beddor, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Muralikumar Organizations: Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Reuters, International Trust Co, Big, ANZ, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, Zhongzhi, China's, China

☆ China wealth manager Zhongzhi flags insolvency, $64 billion in liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

☆ The Great China Boom is going bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Unless dramatic action is taken, the future of China's economy is looking less like a young dynamo and more like an old, slow-moving blob. AdvertisementAdvertisementChinese President Xi Jinping has shifted the country's priorities from economic growth to a "technology and national-security race with the US." A faltering Chinese economy will suppress demand for commodities like oil seeds and grain, hitting US farmers especially hard. For the US economy, China as a workshop is much more important than China as a consumer. Now that China's economic supercycle is over, that may be the cycle we're about to witness.

Persons: We've, Xi Jinping, Lee Miller, it's, Xi's, —, Xu Jiayin, Charlene Chu, Chu, Chu —, Victor Shih, Shih, that's, they're, Zhang, Beijing's largess, Miller, It's, they'll, Chinese Communist Party that's, Anne Stevenson, Yang, isn't, Stevenson, Linette Lopez Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Trust, Autonomous Research, Bloomberg, Autonomous, Century China Center, University of California, J Capital Research, Japan, Nike, Starbucks, WSJ, China, Companies Locations: China, Beijing, Cities, Shanghai, It's, Shenyang, metropolises, Shenzhen, Europe, Wall, —, University of California San Diego, Middle Kingdom, Mexico, Vietnam, New York City

☆ It’s official: The era of China’s global dominance is over
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

We've reached the end of an era for the Chinese economy. Unless dramatic action is taken, the future of China's economy is looking less like a young dynamo and more like an old, slow-moving blob. A faltering Chinese economy will suppress demand for commodities like oil seeds and grain, hitting US farmers especially hard. For the US economy, China as a workshop is much more important than China as a consumer. Now that China's economic supercycle is over, that may be the cycle we're about to witness.

Persons: We've, Xi Jinping, Lee Miller, it's, Xi's, —, Xu Jiayin, Charlene Chu, Chu, Chu —, Victor Shih, Shih, that's, they're, Jinping, Zhang, Miller, It's, they'll, Chinese Communist Party that's, Anne Stevenson, Yang, isn't, Stevenson, Linette Lopez Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Trust, Autonomous Research, Bloomberg, Autonomous, Century China Center, University of California, J Capital Research, Japan, Nike, Starbucks, Companies Locations: China, Beijing, Cities, Shanghai, It's, Shenyang, metropolises, Shenzhen, Europe, Wall, —, University of California San Diego, Middle Kingdom, Mexico, Vietnam, New York City, United States

☆ Crisis at Evergrande deepens as it misses another bond payment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Evergrande Group has just missed another bond payment, casting further doubt over the future of the embattled property developer at the epicenter of China’s real estate crisis. China’s property industry once accounted for as much as 30% of the country’s gross domestic product. Questions about financial stabilityConcerns over China’s economic stability have resurfaced, driven by the deepening financial crisis at Evergrande, said Stephen Innes, managing partner of SPI Asset Management. On Sunday, Evergrande surprised investors with an announcement that it was unable to issue new notes due to the investigation into Hengda. It was the first criminal probe launched against Evergrande since it was hit by the debt crisis nearly two years ago.

Persons: Evergrande, Tao Wang, Stephen Innes, ”, Innes, Mengchen Zhang, Marc Stewart Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Evergrande, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Getty, China, Asia Economics, UBS, CNN, Evergrande Locations: China, Hong Kong, AFP, Asia, Evergrande

☆ Chinese state firms' help to troubled shadow bank does little to address investor concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The involvement of two Chinese state-owned financial firms in Zhongrong International Trust Co's operations and management may diffuse risk at the troubled shadow bank but does little to ease concerns about missed payments, analysts and investors said. It was not immediately clear whether the support by the two firms was engineered by the Chinese authorities, but Beijing has previously bailed out troubled financial firms by roping in state entities to contain broader contagion risk. The agreement allows the two financial firms to "provide professional services for operations and management" of Zhongrong, it said, adding the move would not impact its debt ownership and legal relationship in trust products. That would further dampen investors' confidence in trust products." "It's good news and at least provides some clarity," said Zhang, who is an investor in a Zhongrong trust product and gave only his surname due to sensitivity of the matter.

Persons: Zhongrong, They'll, Zhang, Xu, I've, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Trust, Citic Trust, CCB, Citic Group, China Construction Bank, National Financial Regulatory Administration, People's Bank of China, Citic, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing

☆ Country Garden: China's biggest homebuilder is fighting for its life. Here's what you need to know about the real estate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Just a few months ago, Country Garden was the biggest property developer in China, with more than 3,000 developments spanning the country. Real estate accounts for between a quarter and third of China’s gross domestic product (GDP). A default by Country Garden or another peer could also spread to China’s wider economy and even spill over into global markets. Beijing has announced a flurry of stimulus measures to bolster the real estate sector in recent days, including easing mortgage curbs for homebuyers. This week’s news from Country Garden and Vanke suggest the crisis might not have bottomed out yet.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, “, ”, China Vanke, Zhu Jiusheng, Yu Liang, Yu, Evergrande Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Zhongrong, Country, National Bureau of Statistics, Kaisa, Shimao, Times Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Shenzhen, United States, Times China

☆ China's economic model isn't working, but that doesn't mean the country's headed for a 'Lehman moment'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

And, similar to the crisis that ultimately toppled Lehman Brothers in 2008, much of China's troubles are rooted in its property sector. China's property crisisFront and center for any comparison between today's China and the US in 2008 is the real estate market. "The boom that characterized the property sector of the last decade is over," he said. AdvertisementAdvertisementStill, given the scale of China's property market, policymakers may need to step in with fiscal stimulus to avoid catastrophe. "Rather, it'll be a slow-moving, structural economic crisis that could last for years.

Persons: hasn't, Lehman, Xi Jinping, Alfredo Montufar, William Hurst, Hurst, it's, Helu, Evergrande, Nicholas Spiro, Spiro Organizations: Service, Lehman Brothers, People's Bank of, China Center, Conference Board, Citi, Zhongrong, University of Cambridge, Country Garden Holdings, Lauressa Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, People's Bank of China, Japan, Beijing

☆ What's gone wrong with China's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It’s a far cry from global financial meltdown of 2008, when China launched the largest stimulus package in the world and was the first major economy to emerge from the crisis. It’s also a reversal from the early days of the pandemic, when China was the only major developed economy to dodge a recession. Property woesChina’s economy has been in doldrums since April, when momentum from a strong start to the year faded. While Evergrade is still undergoing a debt restructuring, troubles at Country Garden raised fresh concerns about the Chinese economy. Beijing has so far unveiled a steady incremental drip of measures to boost the economy, including interest rate cuts and other moves to help the property market and consumer businesses.

Persons: rekindling, Ying Tang, Morgan Stanley, Xi Jinping, It’s, what’s, Evergrande, Evergrade, ”, Julian Evans, Pritchard, Evans Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, UBS, Nomura, Barclays, Garden, Zhongrong Trust, CNN, Capital Economics, “, People’s Bank of China, National Health Commission, Moody’s Investors Service Locations: Hong Kong, China, Shanghai, It’s, doldrums, Beijing, United States, Europe

☆ The Fed's next move after raising rates to fight inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Some investors are betting on rate cuts as soon as early next year, perhaps on expectations that the economy might soon deteriorate. If unemployment spikes because of higher interest rates, for example, the Fed would likely cut rates to stem job losses under its mandate of maximum employment. The Fed’s tough talk has rattled the bond market, helping push up long-dated yields. In addition to the possibility of cutting rates because of an economic downturn, the Fed could also cut rates if inflation slows too much. “If the Fed sees that inflation goes below the 2% target, they could start decreasing interest rates, but I don’t think they are going to start decreasing interest rates until that happens,” said Eugenio Alemán, chief economist at Raymond James.

Persons: there’s, Rather, Austan Goolsbee, Mike Hackett, they’ve, ”, Eugenio Alemán, Raymond James, Melissa Brown, China’s ‘ Lehman, Laura, Mengchen Zhang, Technology —, Zhongrong, Read, Thomas Barkin, Michelle Bowman, Kansas City Fed’s, Jerome Powell, Christine Lagarde Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Federal, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Treasury, Nationwide, CNN, Fed, Service, KBC Corporation, Xianheng, Science, Technology, National Association of Realtors, Body, Nvidia, Kansas City, Global, US Commerce Department, Labor Department, Central Bank Locations: Washington, “, China, BJ’s, Abercrombie, Kansas

It warned investors to be vigilant of fraud, but has not commented on the issue of missed payments to investors. Investors were afraid of “contagion” spreading to the country’s $2.9 trillion investment trust industry, Citi analysts wrote in a Wednesday research report. Last year, Zhongrong extended payments on several of its real estate trust products, saying that the companies couldn’t repay their debts. Most trust products are closed-ended, which means they can only be repaid at maturity, and hence are not vulnerable to panic selling. In addition, thanks to new regulations launched in 2017, the traditional banks have curbed their off-balance-sheet business, including trust products.

Persons: Technology —, Zhongrong, hasn’t, ”, Stringer, Zhongrong’s, China’s “ Lehman, ” Nomura, Lehman, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN, Service, KBC Corporation, Xianheng, Science, Technology, CNN, Zhongzhi, International Trust Co, Bloomberg, Getty, Investors, Citi, China, Association, Companies, Kaisa, Sunac, Nomura, Consumer, National Bureau of Statistics, People’s Bank of China Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Shanghai, Shenzhen, …, Sunac China

☆ Furious Chinese investors lodge complaints over trust firm's missed payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Angry investors in trust products of a leading Chinese shadow bank have lodged complaint letters with regulators, pleading with the authorities to step in after the big Chinese trust firm missed payments on dozens of investment products. "Every day, a large number of people gathered at business departments of Zhongrong Trust are praying for the firm can give an explanation to investors ... investors are immersed in unlimited horror and fear every day." In the letter to the NFRA , investors demanded that Zhongrong provide reports of the underlying assets of defaulted products. "We hope officials can attach great attention to Zhongrong Trust ... and not let this to become a milestone vicious economic event," the letter sent to the NFRA said. In the letter to the CCDI, investors complained that management of Zhongrong failed to fulfill their responsibilities and caused huge losses to investors.

Persons: Aly, Zhongrong, didn't, NFRA, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Cogill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Trust Co, Investors, Financial Regulatory Administration, Central Commission, Reuters, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Zhongrong, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, Zhongrong

☆ Zhongrong Trust's missed payments trigger fears among Chinese investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Investors look at an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Shanghai, China, March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Anxious Chinese retail investors are bombarding listed companies with questions about their exposure to Zhongrong International Trust Co after missed payments by the trust company triggered fears of contagion across the country's financial system. Zhongrong managed assets worth 785.7 billion yuan ($107.69 billion) at the end of 2022, out of which 629.3 billion yuan were linked to trust products, according to its latest annual report. Its missed payments had added to stress in the financial sector from the country's worsening property crisis. One investor on Wednesday asked Shanghai-listed New China Life Insurance Company (601336.SS) - which owned 14 billion yuan ($1.92 billion) of products from Zhongrong at the end of last year - whether there was a risk of missed payments.

Persons: Aly, Huang Yan, Jason Xue, Tom Westbrook, Tomasz Janowski, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Zhongrong International, Co, Investors, Shanghai QiuYang, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, Wednesday, Shanghai, China Life Insurance, KBC Corp, Bescient Technology, Shanghai New Vision Microelectronics, Nanhua, Jiangsu Azure Corp, Topsperity Securities, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Shenzhen, Zhongrong, Jiangsu, Singapore

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