You thought 2018 was bad for China’s stock market? Profit warnings suggest worse may be yet to come
- Preliminary announcements show 390 listed companies are set to report a combined loss of US$49 billion for 2018; total losses could be three times higher than a year earlier
Last year was a dreadful one for mainland Chinese equities as a slowdown in economic growth and the trade war with the US combined to crush market sentiment. The bad news for investors is that the worst may be yet to come.
Preliminary announcements showed that 390 companies listed on China’s bourses are set to report a combined loss to the tune of 330 billion yuan (US$49 billion) for 2018. That means the total loss for the country’s listed firms is on track to be three times greater than a year earlier.
Of those companies, 98 are likely to post losses of more than a billion yuan each, according to China Business News, a daily newspaper focusing on finance.
The profit warnings are certain to exacerbate bearish sentiment in a market whose benchmark indicator shed a quarter of its value last year.
“The fundamentals of the listed firms are not going to improve this year,” said Ivan Li, an asset manager with Loyal Wealth Management. “Those retail investors who hope the market can bottom out soon will feel disappointed because of a slowing economy and worsening company earnings.”
Mainland-listed companies are required to complete and publish their earnings reports for 2018 by April 30 this year.