After having been subjected to the serious temper of the “dollar” for much of the past few years, with requisite calm periods interspersed, the Brazilian economy is finally reaching the epic inevitability of it all. “Inflation” in January broke out of the “band” set by Banco do Brasil’s policy target to the highest level, in the IPCA series, since 2011 [...]
It wouldn’t be “reform” if it wasn’t seemingly contradictory and confusing. It is increasingly apparent that investors and observers look at everything in binary terms; something either isn’t or it is. In China, the entire premise of what they are doing takes more than one form, as it can look to be conflicting in the sense that the PBOC both [...]
Looking through all the various indications of the “dollar” world, there is seemingly to this moment a great deal of calm. This is in sharp contrast to December where bearishness and tightening were not just evident but dangerously so (across almost every part of the global financial system). But those two observations are not necessarily expected in sequence, as typically [...]
Unlike previous moves in China, this one in the middle of December caught very little notice. Perhaps that was because the big reduction in the eligibility of repo collateral had “markets” and economists on their heels in disarray about what it was all supposed to mean in the context of obviously (perhaps a touch dangerously) slowing growth. To go along [...]
It almost seems to be a case of traders seeing exactly what they want to see instead of believing their “lying eyes.” Money rates in China have declined in the past few days as speculation abounds that the PBOC reduced the interest rate on its rollovers of the second part of the Medium Term Lending Facility (MLF). The PBOC had [...]
In parallel to US$ credit markets, the “dollar” itself found a new and worsened degree of “tightness” right around December 1. The trend that was already in place, doing so much damage globally prior to about Thanksgiving, took another upward turn at the same time US credit markets may have completely given up on the dominant economic story. In other [...]
There has been nothing good out of China in the past few months, which is why the call for more action by the PBOC has only grown. Despite what are really clear intentions, economists continue to look at financial operations in China as if it were still 2010 or even 2012. When the China PMI disappointed (for whatever that is [...]
With Chinese industrial production in November “unexpectedly” weak, coming in at the second lowest rate since December 2008, Pavlov’s dogs are barking again much louder in the direction of the PBOC. It’s not as if this is a one-time dip in production levels, as the weakest growth rate was achieved only a few months ago in August (but the PMI’s!). [...]
The relative calm in China may have finally broken, as the latest ebb in the negative credit trajectory may have reached another inflection. It is well-known and established that the Chinese economy is heading toward what was only a few years ago thought to be recessionary (when 7.5% GDP growth was believed an indication of severe distress), to which commentary [...]
Chinese financial behavior more recently has been far more favorable than the first part of the year. While there still remains this idea of PBOC control, I think, again, that the second quarter fully bears out the lack of control and the fear that engendered. Very quietly, the PBOC in June rolled out something called the “pledged supplementary lending” program. [...]
Stay In Touch