In recent months, concerns have grown over the world's second-largest economy, following a period of weak economic data and rising fears of missing this year's growth target.
Following last week's 50bp rate cut from the Fed and the resulting strengthening of the yuan, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) decided to intervene by easing its monetary policy.
Importantly, rather than implementing gradual, smaller easing measures, the PBOC took a more aggressive approach, announcing a series of strong moves aimed at stabilizing the economy.
Here are the measures announced:
7-day reverse repo rate cut by 20bps: The new rate stands at 1.5%.
Reserve requirement ratio (RRR) cut by 0.5%: This move frees up 1 trillion yuan ($142 billion) in liquidity.
1-Year MLF rate cut by 30bps.
Lower mortgage rates for existing loans: This was long expected and aims to provide relief for households.
Down payment ratio for second homes cut to 15% from 25%: Aimed at reviving property market activity.
Loan prime rate and deposit rate cuts: These will help mitigate the impact on bank margins.
500 billion yuan liquidity support for Chinese stocks: Funds and brokers now have access to PBOC liquidity to buy stocks.
The PBOC’s measures go beyond just interest rate cuts. By lowering the reserve ratio, adjusting mortgage terms, and providing liquidity support for stock buybacks, the central bank has signalled its commitment to supporting various parts of the economy.
Prices of assets exposed to China surged after Beijing announced its largest stimulus since the pandemic, in a bid to pull the world’s second-largest economy out of the current stagnation. In the coming months, we will see if these measures will be sufficient for a sustained recovery.
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