Yuan inches lower, but losses capped as PBOC flags more bill sales in Hong Kong

SHANGHAI: China's yuan inched lower against the dollar on Wednesday, but the overall downward

pressure on the local currency was mild as the central bank signaled its determination to prevent any sharp falls.

The yuan has dropped more than 2.5 percent since US President Donald Trump said on May 5 he will raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports to 25pc from 10pc previously, in a major escalation of a trade dispute between the two economic giants.

The higher tariffs took effect on May 10.

On Tuesday night, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it will issue yuan-denominated bills in Hong Kong in the near future, which analysts said was designed to tighten offshore liquidity to stabilise the weakening currency.

Prior to market opening on Wednesday, the PBOC set the midpoint rate at 6.8992 per dollar, 2 pips weaker than the previous fix of 6.8990.

Traders said the fixing yet again came in much firmer than their models had suggested in a sign of Beijing's determination to flush out any entrenched yuan bears.

Wednesday's midpoint was 72 pips firmer than Reuters' estimate of 6.9064.

In the spot market, onshore yuan opened at 6.9060 per dollar and was changing hands at 6.9089 at midday, 61 pips weaker than the previous late session close and 0.14 percent softer than the midpoint.

Frances Cheung, head of macro strategy for Asia at Westpac in Singapore, said central bank's intention to sell bills in Hong Kong could increase the cost of establishing bearish yuan positions offshore.

"PBOC bill is a monetary policy tool, the issuance of which in the offshore market absorbs CNH liquidity.

The announcement of the supply came at a time when the PBOC has shown its intention to maintain RMB stability and prevent rapid depreciation," she said.

The PBOC sold 20 billion yuan ($2.89 billion) of bills in Hong Kong last Wednesday, when front-end borrowing costs surged in the financial hub on the same day.

Stephen Chiu, currency and rates strategist at China Construction Bank (Asia) in Hong Kong, said the bill sales would lift the CNH Hong Kong Interbank Offered Rate benchmark (CNH Hibor) on the bill auction day.

"It will be effective as in temporarily suppressing the USD/CNH rise but eventually would need the US and China to make peace in order for the RMB selling pressure to go away," Chiu said.

Although the PBOC did not give further details on the bill sales, Ken Cheung, senior Asian FX strategist at Mizuho Bank in Hong Kong said he reckoned that "the tenor would be shorter than three months if the PBOC intended to drain excess offshore RMB liquidity in order to effectively raise carry cost of short CNH spot position."

The dollar index, a measure of the greenback against a basket of its peers, hovered a near 3-1/2-week high, trading at 98.015 as of midday.