Some analyst responses to the Chines December trade data

FastFT (subscription service from the Financial Times):

  • China’s trade surplus was the third highest on record last month
  • The rise in exports suggest the global economy picked up momentum last month, but the fall in imports indicates domestic demand is weakening

Bloomberg:

  • China’s export engine kept firing in 2014, boosting an economy weighed by a property slump and spare capacity

Li Miaoxian, Beijing-based economist at Bocom International Holdings Co:

  • “China’s exports will be enough to provide support for overall growth, but won’t be strong enough to spark a rebound”
  • “The better-than-expected performance of imports showed China’s domestic demand isn’t that weak — in fact, it’s quite stable if the distortion from the oil price fall is excluded”

Zheng Yuesheng, spokesman for the customs administration:

  • “China’s trade growth is switching from high speed to medium high speed”
  • He cited slowness in the global economic recovery, a loss of manufacturing competitiveness and a decline in foreign investment in China’s manufacturing, as well as falling commodity prices

–

Earlier: