China Stimulus
The issue of "industrial overcapacity" in China may be a misconception. Overcapacity in the old-economy sectors has largely diminished, while China's dominance in the global green-energy market reflects its technological advancements and innovations.
The large buildup in Chinese households’ savings deposits is unlikely to fuel consumption. Poor outlooks on labor market conditions, income, and households’ unwillingness to borrow will hinder consumption through the rest of 2024.
The RMB 500 billion program is small, as it is equivalent to only 4% of property developers' total funding from the past 12 months. This will preclude a recovery in property construction this year. Corporate profits will determine the path of China’s share prices on a cyclical time horizon. Deflation in China will persist for now, which will depress corporate profits even if volumes grow modestly.
A reality check on credit data and announced property sector support measures indicates that the recent surge in Chinese share prices is unjustified based on the country's economic fundamentals.
Mainland residents’ investments in gold, other metals, and Hong Kong-traded stocks are a form of capital outflow. Chinese authorities will counter any excessive capital flight with stricter administrative controls. Thus, markets benefiting from these flows will likely be hurt.
China’s economy is cruising at a very low altitude. The odds are that China’s equity rebound is running out of time. The RMB will continue to depreciate versus the US dollar in the coming months, albeit the pace may be modest.
This year’s cash for clunkers program will have only a mildly positive impact on domestic demand for automobiles and home appliances in China. In the meantime, the equipment renewal program will prop up domestic manufacturing moderately as well as help the country reduce its reliance on high-end equipment imports. We recommend continuing to overweight onshore auto stocks relative to the A-Share Index.
In the short run, global risk assets are vulnerable due to rising oil prices and bond yields. Cyclically, a global economic downturn will weigh on global risk assets.
Due to funding constraints, China’s infrastructure investment nominal growth rate will likely slow from 9% in 2023 to about 6% this year. The new issuance of Special Treasury Bonds will prevent a contraction in the country’s infrastructure spending, but it will not lead to an acceleration. Stay cautious in China’s infrastructure plays in general and steel and machinery stocks in particular.
Despite a couple of rate cuts in H2 2024, borrowing costs will remain elevated in real terms amid lower inflation in the US and Europe. This and tightening fiscal policy will hinder domestic demand in advanced economies. Domestic demand in China and EM ex-China will remain very tepid, with risks skewed to the downside.