Monday, China’s $586 billion dollar stimulus plan appears to have positively reverberated around the world’s stock markets. China’s own indicies were up more than 7 percent, while major indexes in Asia were up 2 to 5 percent on Monday. Even Europe got in on the fun, with its major indexes up 1 to 2 percent. Is the world going Keynesian again, returning to 70s era deficit spending? Will a huge financial spending package in China be enough to mollify stock markets, ending their bear runs?

I am not normally one to attribute rhyme or reason to the movements of stock market indexes. In most cases, only a fool would say how a market is going to move on any given day. Yet today, with the news from China’s central government that it would encourage its domestic market to invest and consume more, it appears to have moved markets in a straight-forward correlation. Certainly, Chinese investors have come to expect the government to step in to prop up stock markets. Last week, it was a rumored $50 billion ‘buffer fund’ that prompted China investors to rally.

US investors are not so easy to impress. The Chinese spending package was not enough to dent the malaise over the US markets, which today were hit by the new of the bankruptcy filing of a major electronics retailer, Circuit City, and layoffs at the US subsidiary of DHL. Finally, the spectre of a slew of possibly negative economic data to be released later this week, including the trade balance, may be prompting caution.

But, back to China, the relatively huge gains in China and other Asian markets indicates, to me at least, that China’s economic news does have the power to help stimulate regional stock markets. But will the package, as China’s leaders claimed, actually help stabilize the world economy? Put another way, can China’s economy save the world’s?

To elaborate on that point, one must not imagine that China will quickly start spending its half trillion dollars to ramp up imports, thereby helping its trading partners. The main effects of this package will be to further push China’s economy toward domestically-fueled expansion via consumption and investment.  It is China’s biggest package ever, the equivalent a $2 trillion package for the US economy, but it will do little to help the world economy, other than encouraging a stable China.

China can afford the package without running a huge deficit, but is there any other cost? Inflation, possibly. One thing is clear, China is most definately now a Keynesian. I hope it can avoid the fate of Japan of the 90s, which tried, and is still trying, to spend its way out of the economic doldrums. Nobody wants to see another lost decade.

Categories: Consumption, Drivers of the Drivers, Investment, Primary Growth Drivers, Pro-business Policy
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The first trading day after the Asia-wide three-day holiday, and following the weekend announcements of Lehman Brothers Chapter 11 filing and the buyout of Merrill Lynch, China’s stock markets dropped in tandem with Asian and world markets.

China Supertrends has been following the financial implications of the sub-prime crisis for a while now and will comment on this latest development and the state of China’s stock markets in a separate post. Today, Tuesday, September 16, was yet another blood-bath in the markets, but at a time like this it is worth remembering that China’s underlying economic fundamentals remain very strong.

In fact, China just came off yet another strong month of growth. If this is true, what causes the apparent contradiction of one of the world’s best performing economies having one of the worst-performing stock markets?

In brief answer to this complex question, let’s just say that the theory of decoupling - the idea that China and other developing countries are mature enough to continue to develop on their own during an economic decline in the US and elsewhere - is increasingly discredited.  We wrote as much in Supertrends: We are living in an inter-connected world, and nothing, not even neo-Mercantilist policies, a protected currency, nor the world’s largest foreign reserves, can resist the forces that are sweeping our world.  As John Donne famously said, no man is an island. This financial crisis calls to all governments to act.

China, with its strong economic performance in August and year-to-date, may appear to be in the eye of the storm, an island of calm and prosperity. Last week was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the economists at China’s National Bureau of Statistics were producing new data faster than mooncakes at Wang Jia Sha. Virtually everything seems according to plan.

Starting with the drivers of the economy, consumption continued to show signs of strength, with retail sales maintaining a 23.2 percent pace of growth in August, only slightly lower than July’s 23.3 percent, the fastest rate since 1996, according to the Shanghai Daily.

The level of retail sales growth is far above the most recent inflation levels, meaning retail sales growth is not just about price increases, there is real growth there.  In fact, CPI - the consumer price index, or basic inflation - decreased to 4.9 percent in August, continuing the downward trend, but worrisome PPI - the prices producers are paying for raw materials and commodities - continued to climb, to 10.1 percent in August. PPI increases will, at some point, either result in decreased margins and profits as companies absorb the increases, or get passed on to consumers as price increases, so China is not out of inflationary woods yet.

Many were regarding the fight on inflation to be one of China’s core economic policies of 2008, but in a surprise move today the People’s Bank of China decided to cut interest rates by about a quarter percent, down from 7.47 percent to 7.2 percent and, in perhaps the most surprising move of all, cut the reserve ratio by a full one percent after having just increased it by one percent in June.  Now that the Olympics are over, micromanagement of the economy seems back in style.

But the message, that the economy is ready for a rate cut and wants to increase money supply, could be evidence that the PBOC overshot the mark and caused money supply to shrink too quickly, contributing to some of the summer’s abysmal stock and real estate performance.  Growth in M2, the money supply, decreased to 16 percent in August, down from 17.4 percent in June.  It is important to point out here that we are still talking about an increase of 16 percent, just that the rate of speed it was growing simply slowed down a little.

Is the PBOC acting wisely or foolishly? Time will tell if they are cutting too soon, a knee-jerk reaction to the latest sub-prime casualties, trying to prop up the falling stock and property markets, or if they are presciently avoiding a much harder crash in the wake of Fannie/Freddie/Lehman fallout and other factors yet to come.

While some of this data could be construed as negative, China had a lot of other positive economic results in August. For example, the trade surplus is up by 25.7 percent year-to-date, compared with Jan - Aug 2007 figures.

In August, with industrial output growth the lowest in 18 months, a mere 12.8 percent increase, exports decreased to 21.1 percent from 26.9 percent in July. Imports were down more dramatically, from 33.7 to 23.1 percent, mostly because of commodity import price decreases  (i.e. oil), so the trade surplus actually still got bigger. 

Though slowing its rate of increase slightly, clearly China’s export prowess is not affected significantly by the world-wide financial crises, and despite the 2008 increase in  the strength of the RMB exporters seem to have adapted. The sky, it woud seem, is not falling, though its perhaps a paler shade of grey. Ecnomists, analysts, and the Chinese media make a lot of dire proclamations about how the Chinese economy is in decline but this is better thought of as healthier, sustainable growth.

I could go on. FDI and other investments - still strong. Foreign reserve size- still troubling, but thanks to the Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac bailout, the 20 percent of reserves held in US mortgage debt appears safe.

So the question originally posed, why is there a contradiction? China’s strong economy (with all the usual provisos and assumptions about the data, of course) on the one hand, and its weak stock and property markets on the other. What gives?

Is this a sign that global markets cannot decouple and are doomed to falter together, or is it a sign that somebody needs to act more decisively?  Just as China became a stabilizing force in the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, is there are way it could use its economic and financial strength to do so again?

No country is an island in our globalized world.  Everybody has a stake.  With the alarm bells sounding, can China passively wait for the U.S. to get through its bailouts, and hope that the world financial system remains intact?  Or does this bell ring for another?  Whom does the bell toll for?  China, it tolls for thee.

Categories: Affluencing, China Supertrends, Consumption, Drivers of the Drivers, Foreign Direct Investment, Globalization, Trade
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Shanghai residents and visitors both may recall some of the lively pedestrian malls in the city, the most famous being Nanjing East Road going all the way to the scenic Bund. Shanghai’s Wujiang Road is also famous in the city for serving such delicacies as Shengjian (friend dumplings, most unhealthy but oh so delicious) and fermented tofu (usually served fried) known locally as ’stinky tofu.’ One half of Wujiang Road has undergone a facelift that is indicative of the changing consumer landscape in China.

Retail in China can be a mixed bag: French-retailer Carrefour may be having problems, but China’s Lianhua is doing well, and foreign firms such as Staples and UPS are expanding, even as Bertlesmann China closes its retail outlets.

There are clearly winners and losers, but retail consumption overall is the most important driver of growth in the Chinese economy. The picture is bright, according to a report by AT Kearney that ranks China as the fourth most attractive retail market (h/t to China Law Blog).

Here is my article from the June 30 edition of the Shanghai Star Business Journal, with some before and after pictures for your enjoyment.

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As world energy prices begin to affect transportation costs, the appreciating yuan results in a decreased demand for Chinese exports, and a tighter monetary policy starts to reign in inflation, the question now is how China will avoid a dramatic economic slowdown. If Shanghai’s Wujiang Road area is any indication, retail may be the answer to China’s excess supply, with China’s newly-affluent middle-class consumers increasingly demanding more.

People who have been living in Shanghai for longer than three years will have distinctive memories of the old Wujiang Road, the bustling restaurant street running parallel to Nanjing West Road near the subway station and intersection of Shimen No. 1 Road.

The area directly behind the station used to have Chinese eateries and snack stands, push-cart vendors and colorful events such as a weekly English corner. Now, in much the same way the Huangpu River separates Puxi from Pudong, old from new, Wujiang Road stands divided: East of Shimen No. 1 Road, the street remains much as it has always been, while the western half has recently taken on a new look: Redesigned by Singapore’s Frasers Property and rebranded as InPoint, part of the Jing’An Four Seasons mixed-use residential and retail development, western Wujiang Road is home to a newly-renovated shopping arcade.

The loss of yet another part of Shanghai’s historic past aside, it is hard to deny the new layout and selection is vastly improved.

Where once were about twenty small restaurants and shops now stands a mall with space for more than ninety. Hole-in-the-wall bubble-tea stands have been replaced by four coffee chains including the ubiquitous Starbucks. What once was a Chinese snack vendor selling meihuagao (a rare and delicious baked rice cake with red bean paste inside and topped with dried fruit) is now an Iceason. If you don’t like their ice cream, you can go to one of three other frozen dessert shops, such as a DQ and Cold Stone Creamery, or try Honeymoon Dessert, one of the many Hong Kong and Taiwanese-style snack shops.

Much like the Wujiang Road of old, there are sit-down restaurants galore, but now with a corporate-branded flavor. And that’s not even mentioning the shops: Retailers Levi’s, Tissot, and ONLY, and other sellers of everything from stuffed animals and puzzles to jewelry and baubles.

All this stands in stark contrast to the eastern side of Wujiang Road, with its low-priced stinky tofu vendors, fried dumpling shops, and outdoor crawfish restaurants.

In fact, the transformation of Wujiang Road is not unique, and is merely symbolic of how retail is quickly maturing in China. Shanghai has dozens of revitalized or new shopping areas taking shape, and it seems there is now an international-style mall on every major street to replace what once was a local- or state-owned retailer.

Nationwide, China is home to four of the world’s fifteen largest shopping malls, but many of them, including the world’s biggest in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, are having trouble filling up the space. This begs the retail supply question: If you build it, will they come?

Retail spending has been growing rapidly in China. In 2008, urban retail spending is up 22.3 percent in May year on year, with an average rate of 21.1 percent this year so far compared to the same period last year, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. This growth seems likely to exceed 2007’s 17 percent overall increase in retail spending, but this is partly expected due to the increased inflation rate compared to 2007. However, by taking inflation out of the calculation, real retail spending has still grown 13 percent in the first quarter of 2008, according to the World Bank’s most recent China Quarterly Update.

Another important indicator is that in 2007, China’s consumption growth - the portion of GDP growth that covers all the goods and services consumed by households - exceeded the growth due to trade or investment to become the top driver of China’s economy, albeit by a slim margin.

Of course, retail spending is only a part of total consumption, but it is a growing part in China as disposable incomes go up. In 2007, average urban salaries increased 18.7 percent, according to NBS figures, nearly four times the 4.8 percent pace of inflation in 2007, and minimum wage levels were increased in many of China’s largest cities. This excess income will drive new retail spending.

Short-term economic statistics aside, where will the long-term support for retail growth come from? There are three major population segments that will keep retail spending high in China’s cities: The white-collar youth, newly-urbanized migrant populations, and the nouveau riche who are spending on big ticket items in the automotive, housing, and luxury markets.

One study by MasterCard estimates that China will have more than 117 million young people with a yearly income greater than US$60,000 by 2016. A recent survey by website zhaopin.com of 6000 urban Shanghainese white-collar workers found that 80 percent had credit cards, and more than half of them already considered themselves in hock to their cards as monthly “card slaves.” The spending power of more than one hundred million high-income consumers who are comfortable with credit card debt, many of whom will live at home until marriage, will be of growing significance to retail sales.

Second, the urbanization trend in China shows no sign of slowing down. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates China will almost double its urban population to 926 million by 2025, with 219 cities of more than a million inhabitants. Each of these cities will have their own Wujiang Road-style pedestrian malls to stimulate consumers’ taste buds and empty their wallets.

Finally, China’s most affluent people, those who can afford their own cars and homes, are literally driving new trends to support their high-end consumption habits. Cars and homes create much related-goods spending, allowing auto-accessories stores such as Japan’s Autobacs, and home-furnishers such as Ikea, to prosper.

As well, the World Luxury Association reported that in 2007 China became the world’s second largest market for luxury goods such as watches, bags, and jewelry, and will top world leader Japan by 2015.

One only needs to look in a three block radius of the new Wujiang Road to see a healthy microcosm of China’s retail environment: Eastern Wujiang Road for the traditionally-minded, the new InPoint shopping street for young consumers, and Nanjing West Road’s high-end fashion and luxury retailers for the affluent. Some may miss the old meihuagao vendor, but China’s economy is not looking back.

Categories: China Supertrends, Consuming, Consumption, Primary Growth Drivers
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I was getting my regular order at Starbucks in Shanghai the other day, a half-milk Earl Grey Tea with a raisin scone, when it occurred to me that I was paying 50 percent more than just a year ago. I remember this distinctly, because I used to pay 22 yuan (US$3.15) and now I’m paying 33 yuan (US$4.70). Did the price of oil of bergamot spike on world commodity markets? Was there a world-wide shortage of baking powder I didn’t know about?

The tea at Starbucks used to be a deal. You could get any size for the same price and, if I talked to the Chinese baristas nicely, I would even get two tea bags. But now, at 18 yuan for a Grande, 21 yuan for a Venti, or 12 yuan for a micro-sized Small cup, I’m suddenly arguing with them: Hey, aren’t these just tea bags and some hot water?

In fact, virtually everything sold at China’s Starbucks has increased in price since I arrived in Shanghai in 2004. The price of a Venti-sized Caffe Mocha is now 34 yuan which, at recent exchange rates*, is $4.85, as expensive as in Starbucks’ hometown of Seattle. Even my lowly little scone used to be only 8 yuan, now it’s 12. Why the Grande price increases, Starbucks?

The answer, you might suspect, is Starbucks trying to gouge its newly-affluent Chinese white-collar customers, but it’s not that simple of course, and inflation is definitely a contributing factor.

On May 12, China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced national inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), had increased by 8.5 percent in April, following a 8.3 percent rise in March and 8 percent overall for the first quarter of 2008. This is, compared to last year’s 4.8 percent inflation (which thereafter became the 2008 target), a significant increase that is starting to look like a trend.

To be sure, Chinese inflation is not all to blame for your Frappuccino price woes: World-wide coffee commodity prices have increased more than 20 percent from a year ago and regularly change depending on agricultural output. Yet Starbucks’ global purchasing clout should be sufficient to insulate it from the yearly price fluctuations. There are also labor, supplies and operating costs to consider. For example, there are the effects of the new Labor Law enacted on January 1st, and producer prices for raw materials, fuel and power have increased about ten percent in the first quarter of 2008, according to the NBS, and the more general Producer Price Index (PPI) increased by 8.1 percent in April.

Are Starbucks’ price increases a sign of a broader pattern? A quick survey found KFC raised prices in March and McDonald’s did so in January and last October. The NBS announced that recent CPI growth is mostly attributed to increases in food prices, which went up 21 percent in the last first quarter. This last figure hit home for me with my monthly home food bills, which my domestic helper (also known as an ayi if you are living in China) aggressively bargains for, yet the amount I reimburse her each month has increased by about 100 percent compared to early 2007.

Some may wonder, what’s the big deal anyway? Isn’t a little inflation good for an economy? General economic principles say yes: In order to keep the economy running smoothly, a little inflation greases the wheels of commerce. This beneficial rate is generally thought to be one or two percent. China’s eight percent is more of an accelerant, but it is hardly hyperinflation, the savings-wrecking triple- or even quadruple-digit rates seen in South American economies such as Bolivia and Argentina in the ’80s. Eight percent is manageable but worrisome things may start to happen.

For example, people could start taking money out of savings, especially if the real interest rate, the bank interest rate minus the inflation rate, is negative, as it is right now in China: The current deposit savings rate mandated by the central bank is 4.14 percent, meaning with inflation at 8 percent, people are losing about 4 percent of their money’s value just by leaving it in the bank. Or, consumers may buy gold as an investment, an start hoarding commodities such as rice or cooking oil, expecting further price increases.

There’s little evidence of massive hoarding of commodities as yet, but in November 2007 three people were killled and 31 injured at a Carrefour Hypermart in Chongqing rushing in to get a 20 percent discount on cooking oil. And when it comes to buying inflation-proof investments, China has a natural love of gold and the China Gold Association said that in 2007 China was the world’s third largest consumer after the United States and India, and 2nd largest producer, in a dead-heat with South Africa. Apparently Olympic gold bars and bullion stamped to commemorate the year of clever (and rich) mouse sold out quickly. 81 percent of gold consumption in China goes into jewelry, which is also a big seller. So what, if anything, to do about increasing prices?

China has several options to combat inflation. Assuming that China’s inflationary dilemma is driven by money supply – that is, China’s huge US$1.68 trillion foreign reserves, hot money, real estate and other asset appreciation – rather than demand (consumption is still relatively low in China at less than 40 percent of the economy), the central bank could increase interest rates or otherwise reduce the supply of money in the economy by tightening bank lending through further increases to the reserve ratio.

The latter tool especially has been overused, increasing ten times in 2007 alone, with the increases each time being very conservative so as not to shock the system. Immediately following the release of the first quarter economic data on the April 16, the People’s Bank of China acted swiftly by raising the reserve requirement ratio, again by 0.5 percent, to a record-high 16 percent. In May, after the April inflation figures were released, they upped the ratio once more. to 16.5 percent. The collective shrug of the market could be seen almost immediately; it is already numb to this kind of pain. Some analysts were predicting a modest half-percent interest-rate increase following the April inflation numbers, but after the devastating earthquake in Sichuan on May 12 the government is likely to be more cautious with further tightening. Thus with only the reserve ratio to cool the economy, and even more fixed asset investment needed after the earthquake, inflation is unlikely to abate in the short-term as the government hopes.

The central bank needs to consider drastic measures and it is time for China to slaughter the sacred cow by allowing faster appreciation of the yuan. Otherwise, your Starbucks soy decaf triple Venti Caramel Macchiato will be getting even more expensive.

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* This article uses 7 yuan per US dollar

Categories: Consumption, Primary Growth Drivers
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