China Central Bank Injected $124b in Dec.

China’s central bank injected a total of 868.75 billion yuan ($124.90 billion) via short- and medium-term liquidity tools in December, its data showed on Tuesday, as it continues to support credit expansion and the economy. December liquidity injections were up 13.2% from November, according to Reuters’ calculations based on central bank data. The People’s Bank of China said in a statement on its website that it lent 733 billion yuan to financial institutions via its medium-term lending facility in December. The bank lent 358 billion yuan for six months and 375 billion yuan for one year. Outstanding MLF was 3.457 trillion yuan at the end of December compared with 2.736 trillion yuan at the end of November, implying a net injection of 721.5 billion yuan. The PBOC said it also extended 135.75 billion yuan in loans to local financial institutions in December via its standing lending facility.