[News] China’s Industrial Profits Fall in August as Central Bank Unleashes Strong Stimulus for Weak Economy

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China’s industrial enterprises’ profits saw a significant decline in August, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on September 27. In August, industrial profits fell by 17.8% year-over-year, a sharp decline from July’s 4.1% increase, marking a 21.9 percentage point decrease and the largest drop so far this year, ending two consecutive months of accelerating growth. From January to August, the cumulative annual growth rate of profits for industrial enterprises above a designated size was 0.5%, down from 3.6% in the January-to-July period, representing a 3.1 percentage point decrease.

National Bureau of Statistics industrial statistics expert Yu Weining stated that the sharp decline was mainly driven by insufficient domestic demand and the impact of extreme weather conditions. High-tech manufacturing, a key profit driver, also experienced a decline in August, with cumulative growth for January to August at 10.9%, down from 12.8% in the January-July period. Additionally, profits in sectors such as mining and consumer goods manufacturing continued to shrink, further exacerbating the downward pressure on overall industrial profits.

 

Facing Economic Growth Challenges, PBOC Unveils a Series of Solutions：

In response to a series of weak economic data, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) introduced a range of easing policies on September 24, targeting interest rates, real estate, and the stock market.

Interest rate: The PBOC lowered the reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions by 0.5 percentage points, bringing the weighted average reserve ratio down from 7% to 6.6%. The central bank indicated it would continue to monitor market conditions and could reduce the ratio further by 0.25 to 0.5 percentage points if necessary. Additionally, the PBOC’s main policy rate, the 7-day reverse repurchase rate, will be reduced from 1.7% to 1.5% to guide market lending rates (LPR) lower.

Real Estate: The PBOC will direct commercial banks to lower mortgage rates by 0.5 percentage points and reduce the down payment ratio for second homes from 25% to 15%. Furthermore, for the 300-billion-yuan in affordable housing re-lending established in May, the PBOC will increase its support ratio from 60% to 100%.

Stock Market: The PBOC will allow securities, funds, and Insurance firm to pledge assets to the central bank in exchange for liquidity. Additionally, the PBOC has introduced a share repurchase and equity increase loan facility to provide listed companies with funding for share buybacks and equity increases.

Overall, as global demand weakens and exports hard to sustain the national economy, the PBOC implemented a more aggressive easing policy just days after the U.S. Federal Reserve’s rate cut. This move aims to mitigate the risks of RMB depreciation and capital outflows, while slightly alleviating the pressure to meet economic growth targets.