Shanghai follows through

Yesterday, the Shanghai Composite Index broke through primary support at 2300. Today the index followed through, falling to 2260. Dow Jones Shanghai Index shows a similar fall below 280. The weekly chart shows an earlier break in August below primary support at 330, leading to a re-test of the 2010 low at 280. Now primary support at 280 has failed, signaling a decline to 240*. Declining 63-day Twiggs Momentum, below zero, warns of a strong primary down-trend.

Dow Jones Shanghai Index

* Target calculation: 280 – ( 320 – 280 ) = 240

Shanghai breaks primary support

The Shanghai Composite index broke primary support at 2300 Monday, signaling a decline to 2100*. Follow-through on Tuesday would strengthen the signal. The sharp fall on 13-week Twiggs Money Flow warns of strong selling pressure.

Shanghai Composite Index

* Target calculation: 2300 – ( 2500 – 2300 ) = 2100

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index held above 18500 Monday, but another test of medium-term support at 17500 is likely.

Hang Seng Index

China’s manufacturing sector under contractionary pressure – Westpac: Phat Dragon

Well, the official November manufacturing PMI, a more reliable survey than the private sector alternative [once seasonally adjusted], saw finished goods inventories rise to their highest reading ever in November. Along with across the board weakness in order books….. and a deceleration in output, import weakness, a steep decline in the new orders-to-inventories ratio and a depleting work backlog, the manufacturing sector looks to be under contractionary pressure. The moment of discontinuity has not yet arrived, but the odds of such an unwelcome appearance manifesting in the near term from this enfeebled jumping off point have certainly shortened.

China weakens

Dow Jones Shanghai Index respected resistance at 320 and is now testing support at 285. Failure would offer a target of 260*. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum deep below zero continues to signal a strong primary down-trend.

Dow Jones Shanghai Index

* Target calculation: 290 – ( 320 – 290 ) = 260

DJ Hong Kong index is testing medium-term support at 360. Failure would mean a re-test of the primary level at 320; respect is less likely but would indicate another test of 410. Declining 13-week Twiggs Money Flow below zero warns of selling pressure.

Dow Jones Hong Kong Index

Inside China’s ugly PMI – macrobusiness.com.au

China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers index PMI dipped below 50 for the first time since the recovery yesterday. The headline PMI declined to 49, below consensus of 49.8. Looking into the components probably provides an even gloomier picture. New exports order declined further to 45.6 from 48.6, indicating continued deterioration of global demand.

via Inside China’s ugly PMI – macrobusiness.com.au | macrobusiness.com.au.

Clinton warning over aid from China – FT.com

Hillary Clinton has urged developing nations to be “smart shoppers” when accepting foreign aid from China and other new donors, as she became the first US secretary of state in more than 50 years to visit Burma on Wednesday.

In Rangoon, Mrs Clinton warned that powerful emerging economies may be more interested in exploiting natural resources than promoting real development.

“Be wary of donors who are more interested in extracting your resources than in building your capacity,” she said. “Some funding might help fill short-term budget gaps, but we’ve seen time and again that these quick fixes won’t produce self-sustaining results.”

via Clinton warning over aid from China – FT.com.

China, in Surprising Shift, Takes Steps to Spur Bank Lending – NYTimes.com

HONG KONG — Faced with an economy that appears to be slowing faster than economists forecast even a month ago, the Chinese government on Wednesday unexpectedly reversed its yearlong move toward tighter monetary policy and took an important step to encourage banks to resume lending.

The central bank said that commercial banks would be allowed to keep a slightly lower percentage [0.5pc] of their deposits as reserves at the central bank. The change, which will take effect on Monday, means that commercial banks will have more money to lend, which could help to rekindle economic growth and a slumping real estate market.

via China, in Surprising Shift, Takes Steps to Spur Bank Lending – NYTimes.com.

China manufacturing exports shrink

The Harper Petersen Index shows a fall in container shipping rates in the last few months, reflecting a sharp decline in manufacturing exports.

Harper Petersen Index

Bloomberg (hat tip to macrobusiness.com.au) now reports that “the cost of hauling goods to Europe from China (its largest export market) is falling faster than rates for deliveries to the U.S. The price for shipments to Europe is down 39 percent to $511 per twenty-foot box since Aug. 31, according to figures from Clarkson Securities Ltd., a unit of the world’s largest shipbroker. That’s more than double the 18 percent slide in the cost to the U.S. West Coast, measured in 40-foot units.”

Quick Overview

Looks like something positive is brewing in Europe, but I don’t want to jump the gun. China looks weak, US probably through its worst, Europe still faces plenty of pain even if fiscal reform and euro-bonds introduced. Game changer would be QE/asset purchases by Fed and ECB.

Asia rallies

Asia rallied Monday on encouraging signs from Europe, with the Nikkei 225 testing 8300, the Seoul Composite (KOSPI) jumping to 1815, and Hang Seng above 18000. But a look at the quarterly chart of the Nikkei shows a long-term, bearish divergence on 63-day Twiggs Momentum, while the index is headed for a test of key support at 7000/7500. Unless we see a break above the descending trendline, the trend remains downward.

Nikkei 225 Index

South Korea’s Seoul Composite index is headed for another test of 1650 according to the weekly chart. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum oscillating well below zero indicates a strong primary down-trend. Failure of support would offer a target of 1350*.

KOSPI Index

* Target calculation: 1650 – ( 1950 – 1650 ) = 1350

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index recovered above 18000 Monday but the long-term trend remains downward. Steeply descending 63-day Twiggs Momentum warns of a strong primary down-trend.

Hang Seng Index

* Target calculation: 16 – ( 20 – 16 ) = 12

The Shanghai Composite index did not share the enthusiasm of other Asian markets, testing support at 2375.  Reversal of 13-week Twiggs Money Flow below zero warns of rising selling pressure. Failure of support at 2300 would offer a target of 2050*.

Shanghai Composite Index

* Target calculation: 2300 – ( 2550 – 2300 ) = 2050