RIYADH: Tight Covid-19 controls are seen exacerbating China’s economic stance. America’s Goldman Sachs revised the Asian country’s gross domestic product downwards to 4 percent. The country’s stocks also fell on Wednesday due to the lockdown consequences. On top of this, several factories and plans are expected to leave the country in light of rising labor costs, worsening trade tensions with the US, and Covid-19 impacts. Meanwhile, some buyers are eyeing liquified natural gas demand rebound as covid-19 is expected to unwind soon.
· American multinational investment bank and financial services company Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has revised China’s GDP downwards to 4 percent, down from 4.5 percent previously, Bloomberg reported, citing economic data from April. In addition to this, the investment banking company also cut forecasts for the second quarter to 1.5 percent year-on-year, down from 4 percent originally.
· China’s stocks dropped on Wednesday amid fears that government stimulus and policies will not be enough to help the economy recover from COVID-19 repercussions. This comes as China’s blue-chip index, also referred to as CSI300, lost 0.4 percent while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.3 percent.
· Several factories and plants might leave China amid rallying labor costs, exacerbated US-China trade tensions, and tight Covid-related controls, CNBC reported, citing multiple firms and analysts. However, the issue that prevails is that supply chain diversification is difficult to implement, CNBC reported, citing Nick Marro, global trade leader at The Economist Intelligence Unit.
· Some Chinese buyers are contemplating the purchase of LNG cargoes from August onwards on the hopes that virus restrictions will ease thus raising demand for the fuel once again in the process, Bloomberg reported. Nevertheless, spot prices will still have to further drop before any deals are sealed.
