2016-02-19

Capital Outflow Data Missing

SCMP: Sensitive financial data ‘missing’ from central bank report on capital flowing out of China’s slowing economy
Figures on the “position for forex purchase” are regularly published in a monthly report issued by the People’s Bank of China.

The data, however, is missing from its latest report on the “Sources and Uses of Credit Funds of Financial Institutions in Foreign Currencies”.

Another key item of potentially sensitive financial data has also been altered in the latest report.
FT: China’s central bank redacts sensitive foreign-exchange data
Analysts expressed puzzlement at the change, since evidence of capital outflow is clear from other official data series. Those include central-bank figures on foreign exchange reserves, which recorded a drop of $99bn in January and $107bn in December, the largest drops on record. Quarterly balance-of-payments data likewise show plain evidence of financial outflows.

“It's possible the system-wide forex purchase data are just late this year because of Chinese new year,” said Jianguang Shen, chief economist at Mizuho Securities Asia. “It’s really not obvious why they would want to conceal this.”

...Yet at a time when bearish sentiment towards China and scepticism over official data are ubiquitous in financial markets, the omission is sure to spark conspiracy theories.

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