Finance
Exxon, Spotify, Boeing, McDonald’s and more
Pictured here is a construction site of property developer Hongkong Land, in Shanghai on Nov. 4, 2024.
Feature China | Future Publishing | Getty Images
BEIJING – China is widely expected to unveil more stimulus on Friday after its parliament ends a five-day meeting.
Authorities here have ramped up stimulus announcements since late September, fueling a stock rally. President Xi Jinping led a meeting on Sept. 26 that called for strengthening fiscal and monetary support, and stopping the real estate market slump.
While the People’s Bank of China has already cut several interest rates, major increases in government debt and spending requires approval by the country’s parliament, called the National People’s Congress.
That approval could be granted at the weeklong meeting of the legislature’s standing committee. During a similar meeting in October of last year, authorities had approved a rare increase in China’s deficit to 3.8%, from 3%, according to state media.
Expectations for the scale of that fiscal support have increased after Donald Trump — who has threatened harsh tariffs on Chinese goods — won the U.S. presidential election this week. But some analysts are still cautious, warning that Beijing may remain conservative and not issue direct support to consumers.
When discussing planned fiscal support at a press conference last month, Minister of Finance Lan Fo’an emphasized the need to address local government debt problems.
At the parliamentary meeting so far, officials have reviewed a plan to increase the limit on how much debt local governments can issue, according to state media. The additional quota would go toward swapping out local governments’ hidden debt.
Nomura estimates that China has 50 trillion yuan to 60 trillion yuan ($7 trillion to $8.4 trillion) in such hidden debt, and expects Beijing could allow local authorities to increase deb issuance by 10 trillion yuan over the next few years.
That could save local governments 300 billion yuan in interest payments a year, Nomura said.
In recent years, the country’s real estate slump has drastically limited a significant source of local government revenues. Regional authorities have also had to spend on Covid-19 controls during the pandemic.
Even before then, local Chinese government debt had grown to 22% of GDP by the end of 2019, far more than the growth in revenue available to pay that debt, according to an International Monetary Fund report.
Rivian’s losses widen, but investors like hearing of ‘progress’ in next-gen EV
China expected to announce highly anticipated fiscal stimulus package
Upstart’s return to ‘growth mode’ helps send the AI lending stock higher
Are American progressives making themselves sad?
U.S. Beneficial Ownership Information Registry Now Accepting Reports
CPA licensure program off to ‘promising’ start
-
Technology5 days agoAI for Business Transformation and its Disruptive Impact in 2025 and Beyond
-
Accounting1 week agoThomson Reuters makes major investment in AI cross-selling software provider Propense
-
Personal Finance1 week agoInflation is down, but the middle class remains under pressure
-
Accounting1 week agoUS, Taiwan to begin talks on a deal to address double taxation
-
Economics1 week agoCould a mechanic in Nebraska determine control of the Senate?
-
Economics1 week agoPCE inflation September 2024:
-
Accounting5 days agoBoosting Bookkeeping Efficiency: Key Strategies for Streamlined Financial Management
-
Economics1 week agoFriday’s jobs report is expected to show the slowest pace of hiring in years