Dont know if any of you remember but about 2 years ago China had their own little stimulus plan as well, just about the time the global recession was taking place. Now you have to think and ask was there really a need for China to place a 4-trillion yuan (585.5 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus package into their strong growing economy. Why would a country growing at such a fast pace, at that time worried about the global recession, throw 4-trillion yuan into their economy, the GDP figures out of China are based off of incredible amounts of stimulus yet no one even mentions a word of it when they announce that China's GDP is growing nearly 10%+. The stimulus they pushed through their system has created demand for everything, it needs to end somewhere, the amount of stimulus in these global markets is mind boggling. Time to pull the stimulus away and see if these economies around the world can experience real growth. The economies are on steroids at the moment. Well Fast Forward and here China is experiencing inflation, so anyone thinking these higher commodity prices mean the world economy is gaining ground just think of what its doing to the costs of materials and food around the globe!!!! Wonder if Bubble ben bernanke is getting ready for QE3, hahaha. Bloomberg China May Expand Inflation âFightâ After Growth Remains Intact December 11, 2010, 11:01 AM EST More From Businessweek By Bloomberg News Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Chinaâs economic data for November showed growth is withstanding government curbs and extra measures may be needed to tame the highest inflation rate in more than two years. Industrial-output gains accelerated to 13.3 percent last month from a year earlier, exceeding economistsâ median estimate, a statistics bureau report showed in Beijing yesterday. Consumer prices rose a more-than-forecast 5.1 percent, the most since July 2008. The worldâs fastest-growing major economy is maintaining momentum after an interest-rate increase in October, curbs on energy consumption and a crackdown on real-estate speculation. So far, officials have held off on the rate increase predicted for this weekend by firms including UBS AG. Instead, the central bank boosted lendersâ reserve requirements on Dec. 10. âWith both inflation and growth figures surprising on the upside, Beijing can and will focus on fighting inflation whole- heartedly,â said Qu Hongbin, an economist at HSBC Holdings Plc in Hong Kong. An âimmediateâ increase in rates is likely and lendersâ reserve ratios may keep climbing, Qu said. London-based Capital Economics Ltd. said Dec. 10 that a rate increase after senior officials conclude an economic policy meeting in Beijing this weekend âcannot be ruled out.â The Politburo has already announced that the nation will officially switch next year to a tighter, âprudentâ monetary stance. Besides industrial output, urban fixed-asset investment also grew at a faster pace, climbing 24.9 percent in the first 11 months of 2010 from a year earlier, the report showed. Retail sales gained 18.7 percent in November from a year earlier. âRoom to Fightâ Bank of America-Merrill Lynch economist Lu Ting said that industrial-production growth may settle at about a 13 percent annual rate, satisfying policy makers and leaving âmore room to fight against CPI inflation and asset bubbles.â Inflation for the first 11 months was 3.2 percent, more than the governmentâs full-year target of 3 percent. Producer prices climbed 6.1 percent in November, more than any of 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had estimated. China, which overtook Japan as the worldâs second-largest economy in the second and third quarters, lags behind Asian countries including Malaysia and South Korea in boosting borrowing costs. Novemberâs consumer prices rose by more than the 4.7 percent median forecast of analysts. In October, inflation was 4.4 percent. Yesterdayâs data leaked ahead of the announcement, with the Economic Information Daily reporting the inflation number on Dec. 10. Biggest Challenge âInflation is shaping up to be the primary challenge facing policy makers in coming months, and it makes sense for them to bring out the big guns,â Brian Jackson, a Hong Kong- based analyst at Royal Bank of Canada, said before yesterdayâs data. Tools may include a faster pace of yuan appreciation, as well as higher rates by year-end, he said. Food prices rose 11.7 percent in November from a year earlier, the most in more than two years, and residence-related costs such as charges for water, electricity and rent were also a key driver of inflation, the statistics bureau said. Overall consumer prices rose 1.1 percent from the previous month. The jump in producer prices topped analystsâ median forecast of a 5.1 percent increase. Costs of manufacturersâ raw- materials such as cement, steel, fuel and cotton have surged, a survey of purchasing managers indicated Dec. 1. Investorsâ Concern The benchmark one-year deposit rate stands at 2.5 percent, less than the annual pace of inflation, and the lending rate is 5.56 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index of stocks has fallen 10 percent from a Nov. 8 high, extending this yearâs loss to 13 percent, on concern tighter monetary policy will cut economic growth and profits. On Dec. 10, the central bank announced a 50 basis point increase in reserve ratios, effective Dec. 20. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point. That move may lock up about 350 billion yuan ($53 billion), according to Barclays Capital Asia Ltd. Besides monetary policy, Wen is using administrative tools, such as sales of state food reserves, to cool prices. Signs of inflationary pressure have included McDonaldâs Corp., the worldâs biggest restaurant chain, pushing up prices, citing rising costs. The southwestern city of Kunming has imposed temporary price ceilings on âdaily necessities,â telling retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Carrefour SA to report any planned price rises. Cash flowing into the economy from trade, foreign direct investment and bets on gains by the yuan has added to a domestic credit boom in exacerbating inflation risks. The trade surplus was $22.9 billion in November and, in addition, banks extended a more-than-estimated 564 billion yuan of local-currency loans. Money Supply Broad money supply, or M2, rose last month by 19.5 percent, the fastest gain in six months, the Peopleâs Bank of China reported Dec. 10. M2 has surged 55 percent over the past two years and outstanding yuan-denominated loans have climbed to 47.4 trillion yuan, 60 percent more than in November 2008. Officials are seeking slower credit growth and economists, including at Societe General SA, expect the government to set a lower loan ceiling for 2011 than this yearâs target of 7.5 trillion yuan. Inflation may have peaked in November and will probably soften this month as âprice interventionâ takes effect and the impact of earlier price increases washes out of year-on-year comparisons, Wang Qing, a Hong Kong-based economist at Morgan Stanley, said in Dec. 6 note.
The chinese govt is going at it full force now removing liquidity, not even bother to dress up with nice wording anymore like in the past. That's how serious they are. Interest rate/bank reserve requirement will continue to go up, lending will continue to shrink. That's why it's no longer good to invest in real estate over there anymore. I think they are addressing the issue at pretty early stages, no panic or anything yet. Just slowly methodically getting it done. The stimulus definitely was needed back then, when all the factories closed and export slowed dramatically. But it was too much and too efficient, unlike the us stimulus that bailed out financials and a few targeted companies with a lot of waste, over there all the money went into infrastructure/manufacturing projects across the board all over the country, that directly created hundred of thousands of jobs that offset the job loss caused by the worldwide meltdown. Now that's over and all the factories reopened, there is a major shortage of workers and way too much stimulus left in the system. The govt is trying to get it under control before it causes a giant bubble, and i think they will, given their excellent track record and speed in dealing with the economy/crisis thus far.
This is the same central planning committee that devalued their currency 50% in one day in the early 1990's. When the average worker makes like 50 cents per hour, any macroeconomic changes directly compared to a Western worker are going to be incredibly amplified. You can't compare a 1% change in metrics related to a Western worker to a Chinese worker. Inflation will hit the average Chinese worker much harder than a Western worker - it's an unavoidable byproduct to a hyper-extended labor arbitrage.