A customer watches stock market at a stock exchange in Hangzhou, China, on September 27, 2024.
Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images
BEIJING — The rocket higher in Chinese stocks so far looks different from the market bubble in 2015, analysts said.
Major mainland China stock indexes surged by more than 8% Monday, extending a winning streak on the back of stimulus hopes. Trading volume on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges hit 2.59 trillion yuan ($368.78 billion), surpassing a high of 2.37 trillion yuan on May 28, 2015, according to Wind Information.
Over six months from 2014 to 2015, the Chinese stock market doubled in value, while leverage climbed, Aaron Costello, regional head for Asia at Cambridge Associates, pointed out Monday.
This time around, the market hasn’t run up as much, while leverage is lower, he said. “We’re not in the danger zone yet.”
Stock market leverage by percentage and value were far higher in 2015 than data for Monday showed, according to Wind Information.
The Shanghai Composite in June 2015 soared past 5,100 points, a level it has never regained since a market plunge later that summer. MSCI that year delayed adding the mainland Chinese stocks to its globally tracked emerging markets index. Also hitting sentiment was Beijing’s back-and-forth on a crackdown on trading with borrowed funds and a surprise devaluation of the Chinese yuan against the U.S. dollar.
This year, the yuan is trading stronger against the greenback, while foreign institutional allocation to Chinese stocks has fallen to multi-year lows.
The Shanghai Composite closed at 3,336.5 on Monday, before mainland exchanges closed for a week-long holiday commemorating the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Trading is set to resume on Oct. 8.
In the runup to the 2015 market rally, Chinese state media had encouraged stock market investment, while loose rules allowed people to buy stocks with borrowed funds. Beijing has long sought to build up its domestic stock market, which at roughly 30 years old is far younger than that of the U.S.
Strong policy signals
The latest market gains follow announcements in the last week of economic support and programs to encourage institutions to put more money into stocks. The news helped stocks rebound from roughly their lowest levels of the year. The CSI 300 rallied by nearly 16% in its best week since 2008.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday led a high-level meeting that called for halting the real estate market’s decline as well as strengthening fiscal and monetary policy. The People’s Bank of China last week also cut interest rates and the amount existing mortgage holders need to pay.
“The policy is much stronger and [more] concerted this time than 2015. That said, the economy faces greater headwind[s] right now compared to back then,” said Zhu Ning, author of “China’s Guaranteed Bubble.”
One week of massive stock gains do not mean the economy is on its way to a similar recovery.
The CSI 300 remains more than 30% below its February 2021 high, a level that had even surpassed the index’s 2015 high.
“The Japanese experience provides an important perspective, as the Nikkei 225 Index bounced four times by an average of 34 per cent on its way to a 66 per cent cumulative drop from December 1989 to September 1998,” Stephen Roach, senior fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center, pointed out Tuesday in a blog post that was also published in the Financial Times opinion section.
“I think what’s missing is the key to a lot of this, that has not come out, which would be a truly confidence-boosting measure, is how are they going to fix the local government finances,” Costello said, noting local coffers once relied on land sales for revenue to spend on public services.
While Chinese authorities have cut interest rates and eased some home buying restrictions, the Ministry of Finance has yet to announce additional debt issuance to support growth.
Animal spirits at play
Peter Alexander, founder and managing director of Z-Ben Advisors, expects the level of fiscal stimulus — when it’s likely announced in late October — to be less than what markets are hoping for.
It “may have investors a little bit over their skis, as people like to say,” he said Monday on CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.”
He added in a written response that his experiences in 2007 and 2015 indicate the Chinese stock market rally could last for another three to six months, or abruptly end.
“This is pure animal instincts and the Chinese have been pent up for a stock market rally,” Alexander said. He added that there are market risks from how unprepared the stock trading system was for the surge of buying.
Data on the number of new retail investors in China this year wasn’t publicly available. Reports indicate brokerages have been overwhelmed with new requests, echoing how individuals piled into the stock market nearly a decade earlier. The Shanghai Stock Exchange on Friday said confirming transactions at the market open had been abnormally slow.
Looking for earnings growth
“China was cheap and was missing the catalyst. … The catalyst has occurred to unlock the value,” Costello said.
“Fundamentally we need to see corporate earnings go up,” he said. “If that doesn’t go up, this is all a short-term pop.”
Beijing’s efforts earlier this year to stem a market rout included changing the head of the securities regulator. Stocks climbed, only to see the rally peter out in May.
A factor that can send stocks past May levels is that earnings per share forecasts have stabilized versus downgrades earlier this year, James Wang, head of China strategy at UBS Investment Bank Research, said in a note Monday.
Lower U.S. interest rates, a stronger Chinese yuan, increased share buybacks and more coordinated policymaker response also support gains, he said. Wang’s latest price target of $70 on the MSCI China index is now just a few cents above where it closed Monday.
Janet Yellen, U.S. Treasury secretary, on a tour of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in Vienna, Virginia, on Jan. 8, 2024.
Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The U.S. Treasury Department has delayed the deadline for millions of small businesses to Jan. 13, 2025, to file a new form, known as a Beneficial Ownership Information report.
The Treasury had initially required many businesses to file the report to the agency’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN, by Jan. 1. Noncompliance carries potential fines that could exceed $10,000.
This delay comes as a result of legal challenges to the new reporting requirement under the Corporate Transparency Act.
The rule applies to about 32.6 million businesses, including certain corporations, limited liability companies and others, according to federal estimates.
Businesses and owners that didn’t comply would potentially face civil penalties of up to $591 a day, adjusted for inflation, according to FinCEN. They could also face up to $10,000 in criminal fines and up to two years in prison.
However, many small businesses are exempt. For example, those with over $5 million in gross sales and more than 20 full-time employees may not need to file a report.
Why Treasury delayed the BOI reporting requirement
The Treasury delayed the compliance deadline following a recent court ruling.
A federal court in Texas on Dec. 3 had issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that temporarily blocked FinCEN from enforcing the rule. However, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that injunction on Monday.
“Because the Department of the Treasury recognizes that reporting companies may need additional time to comply given the period when the preliminary injunction had been in effect, we have extended the reporting deadline,” according to the FinCEN website.
FinCEN didn’t return a request from CNBC for comment about the number of businesses that have filed a BOI report to date.
Some data, however, suggests few have done so.
The federal government had received about 9.5 million filings as of Dec. 1, according to statistics that FinCEN provided to the office of Rep. French Hill, R-Ark. That figure is about 30% of the estimated total.
Hill has called for the repeal of the Corporate Transparency Act, passed in 2021, which created the BOI requirement. Hill’s office provided the data to CNBC.
“Most non-exempt reporting companies have not filed their initial reports, presumably because they are unaware of the requirement,” Daniel Stipano, a partner at law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, wrote in an e-mail.
There’s a potential silver lining for businesses: It’s “unlikely” FinCEN would impose financial penalties “except in cases of bad faith or intentional violations,” Stipano said.
“In its public statements, FinCEN has made clear that its primary goal at this point is to educate the public about the requirement, as opposed to taking enforcement actions against noncompliant companies,” he said.
Certain businesses are exempt from BOI filing
The BOI filing isn’t an annual requirement. Businesses only need to resubmit the form to update or correct information.
Many exempt businesses — such as large companies, banks, credit unions, tax-exempt entities and public utilities — already furnish similar data.
Businesses have different compliance deadlines depending on when they were formed.
For example, those created or registered before 2024 have until Jan. 13, 2025, to file their initial BOI reports, according to FinCEN. Those that do so on or after Jan. 1, 2025, have 30 days to file a report.
There will likely be additional court rulings that could impact reporting, Stipano said.
For one, litigation is ongoing in the 5th Circuit, which hasn’t formally ruled on the constitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act.
“Judicial actions challenging the law have been brought in multiple jurisdictions, and these actions may eventually reach the Supreme Court,” he wrote. “As of now, it is unclear whether the incoming Trump administration will continue to support the Government’s position in these cases.”
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: KULR Technology Group — The space technology company skyrocketed more than 26% after it bought 217.18 bitcoin worth about $21 million. The cryptocurrency purchase was the first for the company since it announced a new bitcoin treasury initiative on Dec. 4, the day bitcoin hit the $100,000 level for the first time . KULR plans to allocate up to 90% of its surplus cash to bitcoin, borrowing a page from MicroStrategy’s playbook. Honda — U.S.-listed shares rallied 4%, continuing to advance after the automaker announced official merger talks earlier this week with fellow Japanese automaker Nissan. That gain raised its week-to-date advance above 18%. Toyota Motor — Shares climbed more than 8% after Nikkei, citing an executive who asked not to be named, reported that the automaker plans to double its return on equity, or ROE, target to 20% . Alibaba — Shares of the e-commerce giant rose about 1% on the heels of an announcement of a joint venture with South Korean retailer Shinsegae. Alibaba’s stock is still down more than 1% in December. GameStop — Shares of the video game retailer jumped about 4%, extending its gains from Tuesday. GameStop has risen four straight days and climbed nearly 85% this year. Crypto stocks — Stocks tied to the price of bitcoin cut earlier losses but remained under pressure with the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is hovering at the $96,000 level and about 11% off its record. Shares of Coinbase were down nearly 2%, while MicroStrategy dipped about 3%. Miners Mara Holdings and Iren were each lower by more than 2%. Broadcom — Broadcom shares gained nearly 3% to build on a strong year-to-date and December rally. The stock is up about 51% this month and has notched new highs. Shares have rallied 119% in 2024. Assembly Biosciences — The biotechnology stock popped 4% after reporting “encouraging” results from a clinical trial for a chronic hepatitis B treatment. Enrollment is currently underway for the second cohort. Kewaunee Scientific — The health-care product maker advanced 3% after Chief Financial Officer Donald Gardner disclosed a sale of 2,000 shares of common stock. Following the sale, Gardner beneficially owns 22,600 shares. — CNBC’s Pia Singh, Tanaya Macheel, Jesse Pound, Sean Conlon and Samantha Subin contributed reporting.
Check out the companies making headlines before the stock market opens. GameStop – Shares jumped more than 4%, extending their gains from Tuesday. The video game retailer has risen four straight days and climbed more than 77% in 2024. Crypto stocks – Stocks linked to the price of bitcoin moved lower as the cryptocurrency slid on Thursday. Shares of bitcoin proxy MicroStrategy fell about 3%, and crypto services provider Coinbase dropped about 2%. Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms pulled back more than 2%. Honda – U.S.-listed shares rose more than 4%, bringing this week’s advance to advance to about 14%, on the heels of merger talks announced at the start of the week with fellow Japanese automaker Nissan. The move also comes amid a rally among Asia-Pacific stocks following a report that Japan’s government is reportedly set to propose a record $735 billion budget. Starbucks – Shares edged down 0.4% after the coffee chain’s workers expanded a strike earlier this week. The holiday work action now affects more than 300 stores in 45 states. American Airlines – The airline fell 0.6% after the Fort Worth-based carrier was forced to temporarily halt flights on Tuesday morning due to a computer glitch that caused a systemwide ground stop. American ended Tuesday 0.6% higher. — CNBC’s Alex Harring and Jesse Pound contributed reporting.