The art of monetary policy
Indeed, such a policy measure is a key step in the continuing reform of China’s monetary and financial architecture, in line with the authorities’ objective of developing the yuan into a key reserve currency and being included in the special drawing rights basket together with the dollar, the euro, the yen and the pound sterling.
But perhaps the timing is wrong, too close to the recent turmoil in the stock market, and the change has been clumsily implemented and badly communicated. By letting the value of the yuan slide repetitively – as opposed to the one-off drop that was originally expected – the monetary authorities have clearly chosen not to intervene – except, perhaps, on the margins to slow down the drop.
But markets know the central bank’s penchant for intervention. Since the beginning of 2015, as the yuan has faced pressure from an flurry of capital outflow, the monetary authorities had to resort to market intervention – selling dollars and buying yuan. As a result, foreign reserves have come down from a peak of almost $4 trillion in July 2014 to the current $3.69 trillion.
The People’s Bank of China is learning the difficult art of forward-guiding the markets, knowing, however, that lack of institutional independence makes mastering this art – and gaining credibility – even harder. Markets are now testing how long the central bank is prepared to let the yuan slide before an explicit intervention. Will the authorities panic and provide a floor under the value of the yuan?
This might not work. Having let the genie out the bottle, the People’s Bank of China will be in the same position as other central banks that have tried to manage a market-based exchange rate. It is a self-defeating game, as the recent case of the Swiss central bank’s attempt to maintain the value of the franc shows.
If things get really bad, the People’s Bank of China can always move back to fixing the exchange rate in order to control volatility and avoid escalating market uncertainty. But this would be a clear sign that the yuan is not ready to be taken to the market.
This article is published in collaboration with Chatham House. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.