, China

China's declining foreign reserves to persist

Total foreign reserves shrank by USD18.8bn to USD3,166.4bn in September.

China's foreign reserves will shrink further over the coming months as the PBoC continues to attempt to defend the Chinese yuan, which is still under significant downside pressure, said BMI Research.

According to the People's Bank of China (PBoC), total foreign reserves shrank by USD18.8bn to USD3,166.4bn in September, versus a contraction of USD15.9bn in August. The decline reflected the central bank's efforts to defend the CNY6.700/USD level when China was hosting the G20 summit in Hangzhou in early September and ahead of the SDR inclusion on October 1.

"We expect foreign reserves to decline further over the coming months, as the PBoC attempts to defend the Chinese yuan by depleting reserves. Indeed, we expect the CNY to weaken gradually against its trade-weighted peers over the coming months," it said

The yuan is still overvalued in real effective exchange rate (REER) terms, and it will continue to face capital outflows over the coming quarters amid an economy that is still in a prolonged deceleration and a fragile banking sector, it added.

Join Singapore Business Review community
Join Singapore Business Review community
A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

You're the reader we write for. You're also the person our partners want to reach.

If that sentence describes you — a founder, a C-suite, someone whose attention companies pay good money for — then you already understand why SBR works. We've spent twenty years earning the trust of readers exactly like you. Which is exactly what makes this an interesting place for your company to show up, too.

The ways it can show up are broader than most people assume — thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The right fit depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.

If your company has something this audience should know about, we'd like to hear what you're working on.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.