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From BMW to Qualcomm, China slowdown fears squeeze global stocks

Investors are avoiding global stocks with significant exposure to the Chinese market due to concerns over China's property slump and its impact on the economy, causing the MSCI World Index to recover to just 2% below its July-end figure.

nikkei.com
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Chinese authorities have introduced new measures to boost investor confidence in the stock market by reducing trading costs, relaxing rules on share buybacks, and considering extended trading hours and a cut in stamp duty, following recent declines in both the stock and bond markets. These declines have been influenced by China's deteriorating economic outlook, including deflation, weak consumer spending on manufactured goods, rising youth unemployment, and concerns over the property market.
Asian stocks, particularly Chinese markets, may find some relief after Wall Street's resilience in the face of rising bond yields, though economic data from China remains underwhelming and foreign investors continue to sell Chinese stocks.
Stock markets worldwide experience declines amid concerns over the Chinese property market, rising US bond yields, and poor economic data in China and the UK.
Asian markets are expected to follow the global trend of weakness in stocks, a buoyant dollar, elevated bond yields, and souring investor sentiment, with no major catalysts to change the current market condition.
China's economic slowdown, marked by falling consumer prices, a deepening real estate crisis, and a slump in exports, has alarmed international leaders and investors, causing Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index to fall into a bear market and prompting major investment banks to downgrade their growth forecasts for China below 5%.
The risks of China's economic slowdown have not been factored into the markets yet, according to Insigneo Chief Investment Officer Ahmed Riesgo, who believes that the crisis of confidence in China's economy will soon become a major global risk.
The People's Bank of China Governor's recent actions have left investors questioning if Chinese authorities are toying with global markets.
International investors are selling off Chinese stocks at a rapid rate, with $10.7 billion worth of holdings sold in 13 consecutive days, the longest streak since 2016, due to concerns over slowing growth and the potential impact of the country's property sector on the financial system.
Despite Chinese companies committing over a billion dollars to share buybacks, these efforts have failed to restore confidence in the struggling market, as foreign investors continue to sell off Chinese stocks due to concerns over the property market and other factors.
China's economic slowdown is worrisome for global markets as it is one of the largest buyers of commodities.
China's regulators are struggling to attract global funds to invest in the country's stocks due to a lack of strong stimulus measures to support growth, resulting in a slump in the MSCI China Index and significant outflows from the mainland market.
China's stock market is on the verge of a meltdown as major property developers collapse, while Wall Street is booming due to renewed interest in tech stocks, posing a potential threat to the UK as it gets caught in the crossfire.
China's leading e-commerce company, JD.com, has experienced a significant decline in its stock price due to investor concerns about the Chinese economic recovery and the property market debt crisis, despite positive second-quarter earnings and growth prospects.
Global investors are skeptical of China's ability to stabilize its financial markets, with many predicting that economic pressures will cause the offshore exchange rate of the yuan to reach record lows.
Investors are becoming increasingly concerned about the state of China's economy as informal gauges, such as PMI surveys and soft surveys, indicate a deep-seated confidence problem and a potential miss of the country's 5% growth target this year, leading to a retreat from global assets exposed to the slowdown.
China's economic slowdown is causing alarm worldwide, with countries experiencing a slump in trade, falling commodity prices, and a decrease in Chinese demand for goods and services, while global investors are pulling billions of dollars from China's stock markets and cutting their targets for Chinese equities.
China's stamp duty and margin cuts revive confidence in the Hong Kong stock market, leading to a rally in stocks such as HKEX, Alibaba, and BYD, while China Evergrande continues to struggle.
China's stock market indexes experienced a brief bounce of over 5% before giving up most of the gains, following new government measures to reduce trading costs and boost stocks, raising questions about the severity of China's economic problems and whether they can be resolved through stimulus measures.
China's attempts to stabilize its stock market through new initiatives and measures have failed as a brief rally fizzled out, reflecting concerns over the nation's economic health.
Chinese stocks rebounded briefly after Beijing implemented measures to halt the slide, but foreign investors used the opportunity to unload $1.1 billion of mainland Chinese equities, reflecting ongoing nervousness about holding capital in China.
China's government implemented various measures to boost its stock market, including a cut in stamp duty and restrictions on selling shares, but the impact has been limited as the CDI 300 index closed up just 1.2% after initially opening higher, and troubled property developer Evergrande experienced an 87% drop in stock value; foreign investors are pulling their money out of China and want to see more significant policy measures from the government.
US companies are becoming increasingly hesitant to invest in China due to concerns over new anti-spying laws, competition from state-funded firms, and the country's economic challenges such as deflation and a property crisis.
For equity investors, the US stock market remains the best option due to Europe's stagflation crisis and a property downturn in China, which have sparked an investor exodus from those regions.
Global stocks rise as a Chinese rebound, prompted by eased mortgage rules, boosts the country's struggling property sector. Goldman Sachs predicts more stimulus to come.
The top 25 stocks in the S&P 500 outperformed the index in the 35th week of 2023, with tech stocks leading the way, suggesting a return of bull markets and a decrease in recessionary fears; however, market health, the balance between developed and emerging markets, and investor behavior still need to be addressed. Additionally, market correlations have dropped since COVID, and on "down-market" days, correlations are 5% higher than on "up-market" days. Market correlations also decrease during upward economic cycles. Retail investors are showing a preference for dividend-driven investing and investing in AI stocks. The global subsidies race is impacting valuations in tech and leading to supply chain inefficiencies. As a result, there are opportunities for diversification and investment in a wide variety of equities and bonds.
China's stock market rebound may be temporary as corporate earnings continue to decline and companies revise down their outlooks, causing concern for foreign funds and prompting Bank of America to urge caution.
China's economic challenges and failed rebound post-Covid are causing U.S. investors and businesses to view Chinese exposure as a liability, leading to underperformance in companies with high China exposure and potential bans on foreign devices, signaling a potential decline in China's economic growth.
China's real estate market downturn, characterized by falling property prices and potential defaults by developers, poses significant risks to Chinese banks, global markets, and Asian economies closely linked to China through trade and investment. The situation has prompted cautiousness among international investors and led to negative impacts on Japan's exports.
Chinese stocks have passed the worst of the selling pressure and are still attractive to investors due to their cheap valuation and potential for growth, according to CLSA. However, Beijing needs to address concerns and risks in the economy. The MSCI China Index has fallen this year, but a pause in the Federal Reserve's tightening policy is expected to reverse market pessimism.
China's property shares are declining and tech shares are underperforming, leading to a slide in the Asian market, while the European market waits for monetary policy decisions from the ECB and the Bank of England.
Chinese property stocks and Japanese government bonds set the tone for global markets as the Hang Seng property index dropped to a fresh September low before rebounding on news that Country Garden won creditor support to delay onshore bond payments, while the Bank of Japan's comments about potential stimulus exit in 2023 pushed the local bond market, and the week ahead is marked by important policy meetings by the Bank of England, the Federal Reserve, and the ECB.
Global fund managers have increased their allocation to U.S. stocks and reduced exposure to emerging markets, particularly China, due to concerns over the Chinese economy, according to Bank of America's monthly survey.
Asian markets are expected to be on the defensive due to sagging stocks and rising oil prices, as investors await U.S. inflation figures that will impact the Fed's rate decision; China's real estate sector is seen as the most likely source of a global systemic credit event.
Investors may want to gain exposure to emerging markets in 2023 due to their high growth potential, the potential for diversification and offsetting of FX impacts, China's policy shifts supporting growth, the ability to compound returns through dividends, and the potential reversal of the MSCI index.
Investors have pulled £10 billion from Chinese stocks as China's economy continues to decline, with declining exports and struggling real estate contributing to the turmoil.
China's macroeconomic challenges, including deflationary pressures, yuan depreciation, and a struggling property sector, could have broader implications beyond its borders, impacting global metal exporters, trade deals, and global inflation; however, investing in China's stocks may offer compelling valuations despite the current downturn.
The performance of Alibaba and JD.com stocks suggests that investors are uncertain about whether China's economy is improving despite positive Chinese data.
A retreat of funds from Chinese stocks and bonds is diminishing China's global market influence and accelerating its decoupling from the rest of the world, due to economic concerns, tensions with the West, and a property market crisis.
China's stock market has slumped due to worrying economic data including falling prices, missed expectations in retail sales and industrial production, and plunging real estate investment, leading analysts to express concerns about an impending downward spiral in the Chinese economy.
Summary: U.S. stocks slumped amid mixed sentiment about the economy, with only the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising for the week, while Asia-Pacific markets mostly fell, and China's venture capital investment dropped by 31.4% compared to 2022 due to its sluggish economy and geopolitical tensions discouraging foreign investors.
China's slow post-pandemic economic recovery is not expected to harm the S&P 500, but caution should still be exercised by investors.
Investor negativity towards Chinese stocks is starting to shift as money managers halt or slow down cuts to their exposure, despite a bearish tilt in the market, signaling a potential change in sentiment and reliance on fundamental factors rather than hope for recovery.
Despite Beijing's efforts to revive Chinese markets, key indicators show that traders are continuing to sell off their equity positions, resulting in the lowest levels of Chinese stocks in about 10 months and a significant withdrawal of global funds from the market.
Chinese stocks defy regional declines as tech stocks rise, while the 10-year Treasury yield slightly decreases from a 16-year high; US futures tick higher following a 1.6% slide in the S&P 500; bond yields rise in Australia and New Zealand after positive US labor market data; and India's sovereign debt is set to be included in JPMorgan's benchmark emerging-markets index.