Yuan weakened on S&P’s credit outlook downgrade for China and Hong Kong
Credit agency cuts sovereign credit outlook to negative for China and Hong Kong took yuan lower and undercut other positive economic news
Offshore yuan in Hong Kong traded at 6.4700 to the US dollar at noon on Friday, down 0.15 per cent from the day before.
It reached a one-week high of 6.4600 on Thursday. Traders said the S&P decision has brought any rally for this week to an end. The Chinese currency ended the first three months of this year 1.59 per cent up against the dollar, the strongest quarterly gain in four years.
It is 0.84 per cent higher this week, the best weekly gain since mid-February.
The borrowing cost of the offshore yuan, called CNH Hibor, returned to normal with the overnight interest rate fixed at 1.45 per cent on Friday morning by the Treasury Markets Association. That was after it slipped into negative territory for the first time ever on Thursday at -3.725 per cent. That was the result of the yuan’s recent rally that forced short-sellers to wind down their positions and boost liquidity in the offshore yuan market.
Stephen Innes, senior trader at OANDA Asia Pacific, said the negative interest rate of the CNH funding was a result of end-quarter influences and an unwinding of forward hedges used to fund short CNH positions.
Innes said the funding position returned to normal on Friday while the China’s PMI was 50.2 in March, better than the 49.4 expected. A PMI of more than 50 represents expansion of the manufacturing sector.