All articles tagged with #market intervention
President Trump ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion of mortgage bonds, marking a significant assertion of executive power in financial markets and potentially influencing mortgage rates, while raising concerns about political interference in traditionally independent monetary policy.
The US dollar reached a three-month high amid cautious market sentiment ahead of key economic data and central bank decisions, with the dollar's strength driven by hawkish Fed expectations, while the yen and pound face pressure from interest rate outlooks and potential intervention. The upcoming data releases and central bank meetings are expected to influence currency movements further.
China's main securities regulator chairman, Yi Huiman, was ousted in a surprise move, signaling alarm over the $5 trillion stock market selloff. Wu Qing, a close ally of Premier Li Qiang, is taking over as chairman of the regulator. The departure of Yi underscores the growing sense of alarm within President Xi Jinping’s government over the market meltdown. China watchers say the move may signal additional measures to revive the stock market, as previous sackings of CSRC chiefs heralded extended equity rallies. However, challenges such as the property crisis, geopolitical tensions, and weak growth continue to weigh on the market's performance.
Trading activity in China's largest listed companies has surged to a five-month high, likely due to increased buying by Beijing's "national team" of state-run financial institutions. The CSI 300 index is up 4% this month after a sharp sell-off in January, and state buying is believed to be aimed at short-circuiting the downward momentum. The recent rise in trading activity follows an announcement by Central Huijin to expand its purchases of exchange traded funds, with significant increases in trading volumes for ETFs linked to the CSI 300 index. Additionally, China's State Council announced the immediate replacement of the chair of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, reflecting efforts to restore confidence in the stock market. Despite steady stock market losses, Beijing's official buying appears to be more restrained than in the 2015 stock market meltdown, with purchases limited to shares in state banks and benchmark index-tracking ETFs.
Chinese equity markets surged after government officials announced measures to support the market and President Xi Jinping stepped in to discuss recent market losses. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 4%, with index heavyweights such as JD.com and Alibaba both nearly 8% higher. The rebound followed pledges to guide institutional investors to increase stock buying, urging long-term funds to resume buying, and allowing foreign buyers deeper access into stocks they’d previously been restricted from owning. However, concerns over small-cap stocks remain as investors worry that government and fund efforts to resume buying will focus on large-cap stocks.
According to a Reuters poll, over a third of analysts expect the Indian rupee to reach a new low within a year, despite the Reserve Bank of India's efforts to cut volatility. The rupee recently fell to a 10-month low due to expectations of strong U.S. yields. The RBI's interventions have limited the depreciation, but the rupee is still expected to remain weak. Median forecasts show a modest gain in the rupee in the short term, but less than 1% gain in six months and around 1.5% gain in a year. Rising global food prices and the need to keep the currency strong are reasons for the RBI's intervention. Inflation in India is expected to remain above the RBI's target range, but the central bank has relied on market intervention rather than policy action.