15 April 2019 : Adding to the risk appetite seen in early trade this week are China’s March external trade figures, which were released at the end of last week and helped ease some of the concern over a decline in the nation’s economic momentum. China’s exports for the month surprised to the upside, suggesting that global demand for trade remains intact and that the Chinese economy will find solid footing as a result.
China’s Q1 GDP, as well as March’s industrial production and retail sales data, are all due for release on Wednesday. These will be treated as tier-one economic releases from China and the data should offer further indication as to how the world’s second largest economy is holding up. Note that the IMF recently revised China’s forecasted growth higher, in contrast to the lower projections for global growth.
Should the “China stabilizing” narrative gather momentum, complemented by evidence of stimulus measures feeding into China’s economy in the months ahead, this should offer room for more gains in emerging market assets over the near-term.
Source : Lukman Otunuga, FXTM Research Analyst
Reporting for EasyKobo on Monday , 15 April 2019 in Lagos, Nigeria