America is not the only country manipulating its money in order to prop up a flagging economy. Today China unexpectedly injected billions in cash to prevent a fall in interest rates as the economy flounders following months of trading tensions. Savvy investors turned to Bitcoin before, will they do it again?
Central Bank Floods Market With Cash
According to Bloomberg the People’s Bank of China injected 200 billion yuan (around $US28 billion) into the financial system today. The move caught markets off guard and the flood of money flowed through the medium-term lending facility which is essentially loans for banks.
The premature cash injection comes amid a prolonged trade dispute with the US and a slowing domestic economy. The report added that data released this week showed China’s factory deflation deepening and a fall in imports and exports last month.
China’s third quarter GDP figures are due for release on Friday and they are expected to show the lowest growth since 1992.
The PBoC has been forced to take action to ease monetary policy by injecting more liquidity into the financial system. More than 400 billion yuan of the medium-term lending facility will come next month providing a window for the central bank to lower interest rates.
Other reports indicate that the US and China are intent on ‘decoupling’ as high level talks between the two leaders continue to wrangle over trade agreements. This would be bad news economically for both nations and the rest of the world.
Chief economics commentator for Forbes Asia, Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, stated;
“The US-China trade war, for me, is simply a manifestation of a much deeper transition in the global economy, and I believe China is preparing its economy to eventually decouple from the US over time.”
What is clear is that both economies are suffering as a result of the trade spat and the global financial system is slowing down, almost ten years after the last crisis.
Does Bitcoin Solve This?
Yes and no. Bitcoin has yet to establish itself as an alternative borderless currency so it is still only really a store of value at the moment. Central banks flooding financial markets with billions also serves to devalue their own currencies, so the store of value narrative for BTC may strengthen.
Additionally, Chinese investors and traders are savvier than their US counterparts and have subverted the system countless times before to buy up Bitcoin in times of economic adversity. Tether has also been acquired in large quantities by the Chinese looking to hedge against their own currency with a dollar pegged stablecoin, and to circumvent a ban by banks on buying crypto with fiat.
According to a recent Chainalysis report, USDT has been used in almost all BTC trading in China this year. As central banks continue to manipulate money markets, those with the funds and know-how will be looking at alternatives such as Bitcoin, and China has a lot of them.
Image from Shutterstock