Markets are skittish, prone to starting at shadows or gorging themselves on rumours. Is China’s ‘counter-cyclical bounce’ just the latest piece of scuttlebutt to affect the currency or is the writing on the wall?
In one month, China’s foreign exchange regulator has fined 48 corporates, banks and individuals. European chemistry giant Solvay, as well as HSBC, are on the list.
China’s leading optical device manufacturer has seen the equivalent of $29 million wiped out on the back of the renminbi’s devaluation. Meanwhile, the PBoC’s latest move is adding to its pain.
It's like nothing China's treasurers have seen in the past 10 years; a toxic combination of defaults, US rate hikes, a downturn at home, regulatory interference and trade tensions are killing bond issuance.
A 20% reserve requirement set by Chinese regulators on dollar/Rmb forward contracts has an instant impact. As predicted, futures contracts are moving offshore.
Treasurers tell CT what a return to the reserve requirement on forward trading – which puts the brakes on renminbi-US dollar forwards – will mean for their operations.
A 7% slump in the renminbi's value as the winds of trade war blow has an unwanted consequence: 2016-style capital controls and difficulty in withdrawing money from the country.
China has been pushing for more Panda issuance, and a Hong Kong-listed water supply company has delivered despite not holding the top credit rating. It explains how and why.
Notional cash pooling avoids the physical transfer of foreign exchange, reducing FX risk. The US tech manufacturer's Yvione Zhou explains how it works in Asia.