Nearly two months after authorities surprised investors by pledging to “invigorate capital markets and boost investor confidence,” traders are not biting. The benchmark CSI 300 Index touched a fresh low for the year this week, and the tech-heavy ChiNext Index is at its lowest level since 2020.
This dismal picture comes despite a slew of moves from the Politburo, including halving of the securities trading stamp duty, restricting share sales, slowing the pace of new offerings, doubling down on punishments for illicit trades, and scrutinizing quant trading. Still, broader worries about the property sector and economy continue to dominate.
She also noted that many funds are in the red for the year, making their managers less eager to trade because it would lock in losses.The capital market is far from energetic, with daily average turnover poised for a third straight week of declines. It’s been mostly below 1 trillion yuan for nearly three months, and fell to the lowest level this year on Tuesday as investors wait on the sidelines.
Breadth is poor: Fewer than 2% of the more than 5,000 stocks trading in Shanghai and Shenzhen are at fresh six-month highs. That’s less than a third of the five-year average.