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Moody’s Says China Firms Hum Amid Debt Risk

With the regulatory crackdown on financial risks still weighing on credit growth, it will be difficult to avoid a further slowdown in the coming months
Moody’s said it expected G20 economies, which account for 78% of the global economy, to collectively grow at an annual rate  of 3.1% this year and next, from 2.6% in 2016.
Moody’s said it expected G20 economies, which account for 78% of the global economy, to collectively grow at an annual rate  of 3.1% this year and next, from 2.6% in 2016.

China’s industrial engine cranked up again in May, reassuring investors worried about slowing growth in the world’s second-biggest economy as it grappled with debt risks and tried to shake off a stinging ratings downgrade from Moody’s Investors Service.

Moody’s sees an improving global outlook even as it warned of a slowdown in China later in the year as liquidity-tightening measures take effect, EJInsight reported.

The ratings agency said the biggest risks to global growth, including protectionism and European Union exits, seemed to have subsided, although an opinion poll in Britain pointed to the danger of a hung parliament in elections next week.

Moody’s expects 2017 growth for China at 6.6%, in line with the official target of at least 6.5%. China’s official Purchasing Managers’ Index eased worries about a sudden slowdown after a run of weak readings of April data. The PMI was at 51.2 in May, compared with April’s 51.3 and forecasts of 51.0 in a Reuters poll.

“The latest official PMI readings add to broader evidence that downward pressure on growth has eased lately,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist at Capital Economics.

“Looking ahead, however, we suspect that the current stability … will prove temporary. With the regulatory crackdown on financial risks still weighing on credit growth, it will be difficult to avoid a further slowdown in the coming months.”

Activity in China’s steel industry grew at the fastest pace in a year in May, supported by an increase in new orders. The steel sector PMI rose to 54.8 from 49.1 in April, climbing above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction.

In cutting China’s sovereign rating for the first time in nearly 30 years last week, Moody’s cited the contradiction between using stimulus to meet growth targets and trying to reduce debt in the economy.

The big question for investors is how far Chinese authorities will go in their attempts to curb the bubble risks. Most analysts argue that Beijing will tread carefully for fear of knocking the economy hard, though investors worry that a significant credit contraction in China will reverberate through financial markets and the global economy.

Global Growth

Moody’s said it expected G20 economies, which account for 78% of the global economy, to collectively grow at an annual rate of 3.1% this year and next, from 2.6% in 2016.

In a positive sign, factory output in Japan, the world’s third-biggest economy, grew at the fastest pace in almost six years, taking production to its highest level since 2008.

South Korea’s industrial output declined unexpectedly, however, adding an element of uncertainty for the central bank, which plans to upgrade its 2017 growth outlook from the current 2.6%.

One factor Moody’s said had improved the outlook was the election of Emmanuel Macron as French president, which reduced the risk of a European Union exit by a major country.

Protectionism Fading?

Economic growth is gathering steam across the world as political risks fade, the threat of protectionism from the US recedes and the eurozone at last recovers.

“Overall, global growth is looking increasingly sustainable with data surprising to the upside in a number of emerging market countries,” said Madhavi Bokil at Moody’s Investors Service.

“The current momentum should continue. With the exception of the UK, recovery in advanced economies is also picking up.” Big threats to the global recovery have failed to materialize this year despite widespread concern just a few months ago.

Three months ago Moody’s warned that Donald Trump’s protectionism could derail the global recovery if it sparked a trade war. “The risk to global trade and economic growth from a pursuit of protectionist policies in the US and consequent retaliation also seems to have diminished for now,” said Bokil.  “There is a significant softening of the US administration’s stance on what should be considered free and fair trade from a US economic standpoint.”

Trump has backed away from some rhetoric targeted at the countries with which the US runs a trade deficit, as well as limiting his threats to Nafta.

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