Mumbai, December 13 (Commoditiescontrol) China is likely to start adding fiscal stimulus in early 2022 after the country’s top officials said their key goals for the coming year include counteracting growth pressures and stabilizing the economy, guessed some of the economists.
A foreign media report based on the predictions of the economists said, “Curbs on the property industry are expected to remain, while there could be fewer regulatory surprises compared with sudden moves in 2021 to rein in sectors from technology to education and entertainment.”
At the end of their three-day annual Central Economic Work Conference, the Communist Party’s top decision makers on Friday said the top priority for next year is “ensuring stability.” They also vowed to “front load” policies and keep the monetary stance flexible and appropriate, the report said.
“Fiscal policy is expected to play a main role in supporting growth next year,” the report quoted Ding Shuang, chief economist for Greater China at Standard Chartered Plc, while housing policies will see “fine tuning” rather than a major shift, he added.
The economy has slowed in recent months because of the worsening property market slump, weak consumption growth, and repeated outbreaks of Covid-19, which have damaged businesses and consumers’ confidence. The meeting’s relatively hawkish language on real estate suggests that the drag from property will mostly persist.
Policy for most of this year had been focused on curbing financial risks and reducing debt in the economy, and developer China Evergrande Group last week became the largest casualty of President Xi Jinping’s campaign to tame over-leveraged conglomerates and the overheated property market.
A call for counter-cyclical policies was the first time Chinese authorities have used the phrase this year, Barclays Plc analysts led by Jian Chang wrote in a note. That “should help ease market concerns of a sharp slowdown in economic growth,” they said.
Economists forecast growth to slow to 3.1% in the current quarter, a deceleration from 7.9% in the April-June period and 4.9% in the last quarter. An official target for gross domestic product growth next year will only be revealed at the annual parliament meeting in March, and analysts predict authorities will do more to ensure growth will reach around 5%.
(By Commodities control Bureau; +91 9820130172)