Nearshoring / Friendshoring in action... For the 1st time since 2003, the US is importing more from Mexico than from China
Source: BofA, Bloomberg
China Budges in Fight With Bears, Sending Yuan Toward Record Low – Bloomberg
The offshore yuan weakened toward its lowest on record against the dollar, as a cut to the daily reference rate for the managed currency stoked bets China is comfortable with a gradual depreciation. China’s currency declined to about 7.36 per dollar in overseas trading, beyond the psychologically important level of 7.35 and close to the weakest since the creation of the offshore yuan market in 2010. The move came after the People’s Bank of China set its so-called fixing at a two-month low on Friday.
Should German automotive executives start to panic?
While German unions request four days workweek, projections by IHS / UBS show that China automakers are likely to take substantial global market share in the years to come... Source: Michel A.Arouet
A new all time high for gold denominated in yen
Source: barchart
China Reportedly Bans Apple iPhones And Other Foreign Devices Among Government Officials according to the WSJ
-> Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the Journal said officials at central government agencies had been told of the ban by superiors in recent weeks through workplace chat groups or in meetings. -> The order also prohibits officials from bringing iPhones and other foreign devices into the workplace. -> It’s not clear how widely the orders have been disseminated across China’s government but similar instructions have also been handed down to employees at some central government regulators, according to the Journal. Source: Forbes
Germany Factory Orders Slumped 11.7% at Start of Third Quarter
*GERMANY JULY FACTORY ORDERS FALL 11.7% M/M; EST. -4.3% *GERMANY JULY FACTORY ORDERS FALL 10.5% Y/Y; EST. -4.5% German factory orders plummeted in July, a sign that the woes of Europe’s biggest economy continued into the third quarter. Demand decreased by 11.7% from June, far worse than the 4.3% drop expected by economists in a Bloomberg survey. That decline was due to major orders, without which the gauge would have increased by 0.3%. The drop in what is a volatile series did follow three months of gains. Source: Blooomberg
Can oil move back to triple-digits?
According to the GS commodities team, production cuts by Saudi Arabia and its OPEC+ partners - at the time demand continues to rise - will result into an average 3 MILLION BARREL DAILY SHORTFALL into year end (vs. 2 million barrel previously). This is coming at the time when: 1) Not much help is expected from US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (Biden adminstration has already drained half of the SPR, as such there are virtually no levers left to pull at this point); 2) Net spectulative positions on WTI Oil futures contract is at the LOWEST since years Source: Goldman Sachs, www.zerohedge.com
Shares of Chinese property developers Evergrande soared as much as 82% on Wednesday
Other stocks like Country Garden Holdings and Logan Group also surged, gaining as much as 26% and 28% respectively. The gains come after Country Garden reportedly managed to pay $22.5 million in bond coupon payments on Tuesday, narrowing avoiding default. Let's keep in mind though that the sector is far out of the wood. According to Bloomberg, 34 out of the top 50 private real estate developers in China are suffering delinquencies. The remaining 16 developers face a combined $1.5 billion of bond payments this month. In January 2024, these remaining 16 Chinese developers will face a massive $3.0 billion in bond payments. Source: The Kobeisi Letter, CNBC
