Chinese Central Bank Pledges to Avoid a Credit Crunch

China’s financial markets calmed down on Wednesday after days of turmoil thanks to the central bank’s pledge to prevent a credit crunch, but stocks struggled as investors braced for tougher conditions in the world’s second-largest economy.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said late on Tuesday it had helped some banks and was ready to act again as the lender of last resort for those caught in a short-term squeeze. However, it was also sticking to its stance of tightening market conditions as it seeks to rein in sharp growth in informal lending.

The central bank wants to curtail funds flowing into China’s vast “shadow” financial system that fuels property and stock speculation and push money into more productive areas of the economy to secure more sustained growth.

But its decision to let short-term borrowing costs soar to extraordinary levels last week fanned fears that a temporary squeeze could morph into a lasting credit crunch.

via Reuters

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Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza