China diversifying to lessen the $ reserve currency roleJulian D.W. Phillipswww.silverforecaster.com Nov 20, 2006 |
With gold leading silver along by the hand, we feature this week's article on China and its burgeoning reserves problem, which we believe will be the most significant event in the global monetary system ever to affect both gold and silver. Indeed if it continues to grow in influence on the value of the $, it may well be that silver begins to be treated as a monetary metal at some point in the future. Invoicing in other currencies And the Trade deficit will continue until growth and import demand are slowed considerably, or measures are taken by the government to slow them down. As to financing the Trade deficit, it would be most surprising if there were any [except the closest of unwise friends] nations willing to finance the deficit anymore. Is this diversification from the $ a near term likelihood? Yes, it is for China which will diversify its $1 trillion foreign exchange reserves, the largest in the world, across different currencies and investment instruments, including in emerging markets, Chinese central bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said last week. Chinese reserves are about 70% in U.S. debt securities. "(Diversification) includes currencies, investment instruments, including emerging markets," said Zhou. He then confirmed that "We do not have any new preparations for selling any currencies." China has to diversify as its future as the leading global manufacturer is pointing the way to the Yuan fully convertible at some point in the future in future. Zhou said that a mushrooming trade surplus meant China needed stronger policy adjustment both on the Yuan and through boosting internal demand. But he said any changes to the Yuan would be gradual to avoid unbalancing the domestic economy. China has allowed the Yuan to appreciate 2.1% since last July only. "The reason why we adopt a gradual approach for exchange rate reform is because China has a very large amount of labor working in the trade-related sector," Zhou said, "So we have to consider this. We should avoid too much or too sudden closing-down or bankruptcies of enterprises and laying-off of workers. We are trying to manage to adjust the balance of payments and meanwhile to keep domestic economy in the good (state)." China is growing at its fastest pace since 1995, but Zhou expressed satisfaction that the pace of growth was easing from the first quarter's 11.3%. "It has already slowed down to some extent so we have reached the expected result of macro-economic adjustment," he said. Nov 20, 2006-Julian D.W. Phillips email: gold-authenticmoney(at)iafrica.com To subscribe to "Silver Forecaster," please go to: www.silverforecaster.com. |