China has ample tools to stabilize the foreign-exchange market even if the yuan enters a “panic” slide, according to a commentary in the Chinese central bank-backed Financial News.
The commentary, published late Wednesday, showcased the People’s Bank of China’s continuing campaign to reassure investors amid declines in the yuan that recently took it toward its weakest in 15 years against the dollar.
Among China’s tools are the foreign-exchange risk-reserves ratio, banks’ FX deposit-reserve ratio, the countercyclical factor used in determining the PBOC’s daily reference rate for the yuan and the adjustment of macroprudential factors for cross-border financing, according to the commentary.
Yuan depreciation since mid-May has been due to short-term factors related to China’s economic recovery not meeting expectations in the market, according to the commentary.
The yuan has retreated over 5% against the dollar in the past three months, as the PBOC cut interest rates while the US Federal Reserve has hiked interest rates and indicated more moves to come.
Still, the PBOC-backed newspaper said that there’s a basis for stabilization in the yuan — and even appreciation — such as a sound overall trend for the economic recovery, along with policy support.
Read More: China Central Bank Vows to Stabilize Yuan as Slide Deepens
Expectations in China’s foreign-exchange market remain stable, while cross-border flows remain basically balanced, the commentary said. It also described China’s yuan market as resilient.
The newspaper posted the commentary after the offshore yuan erased morning gains and declined for the first day in four, after a private-sector gauge of China’s service activities indicated a slowdown in June.
