China’s economy slumps from COVID-19 lockdowns, ASX rises as Brambles considers $20b takeover bid
Australian shares closed higher after a mixed day of trading, after China revealed its economy had suffered a worse-than-expected slump in April.
Key points:
- The ASX 200 gained 0.2 per cent on Monday
- The Australian dollar tumbled to 68.8 US cents
- China’s jobless rate lifted to 6.1pc, its highest in since 2020
It was the result of China’s widening COVID-19 lockdowns, which are adding to fears its economy could shrink in the June quarter.
Given that China is Australia’s biggest trading partner, a slowdown could have a significant impact on the local economy.
The ASX 200 closed up 0.2 per cent, to 7,094 points, after hitting a high of 7,149 around 11am AEST before the disappointing Chinese economic data was released.
The Australian dollar slumped to its weakest level in around two years. It was buying 68.82 US cents, and had dropped 0.8 per cent.
On oil markets, Brent crude futures lost 1.7 per cent and was worth $US109.78 a barrel, at 4:15pm AEST.
Spot gold fell slightly to $US1,804 an ounce.
How bad was China’s economic data?
China’s retail sales plunged by 11.1 per cent in April — compared to a year ago — and this was its biggest slowdown since March 2020, according to figures from its National Bureau of Statistics.
The reading worsened from the 3.5 per cent fall in March, and was considerably worse than economists’ expectations of a 6.1 per cent drop).
Dining-out services were suspended in some provinces and China’s auto sales in April plunged 47.6 per cent from a year earlier as car makers slashed production amid empty showrooms and parts shortages.
As the anti-virus measures snarled supply chains and paralysed distribution, industrial production fell 2.9 per cent from a year earlier. This was the the largest decline since February 2020.
The shock also weighed on the job market, which Chinese leaders have prioritised for economic and social stability.
China’s nationwide survey-based jobless rate rose to 6.1 per cent in April — up from 5.8 per cent in March. It was the highest level of unemployment since February 2020.
The nation’s economy is headed for “a sharp contraction in economic activity”, said Julian Evans-Pritchard, an economist from Capital Economics.
“Provided that the virus situation continues to improve, the economy should begin to rebound this month. But the recovery is likely to be tepid.
Brambles receives buyout offer
Logistics firm Brambles was the best-performing stock on the ASX, after a 10.9 per cent jump.
This was after the pallets and container supplier said it was considering an unsolicited takeover offer from European private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, which is believed to be worth $20 billion, including debt.
If the deal goes through, it would be the biggest private equity takeover in the country.
The other top performers were Pilbara Minerals (+5.4 per cent), Qube Holdings (+5.3 per cent), Life360 (+4.8 per cent) and Xero Limited (+4.5 per cent).
On the flip side, Imugene lost 5.7 per cent, Polynovo Limited was down 4.2 per cent, followed by Zip Co Limited (-3.5 per cent), Magellan Financial (-3.2 per cent) and Tyro Payments (-3.1 per cent).
ABC/Reuters
Posted , updated
