China FX committee urges banks to cap speculation as yuan surges

Beijing

AN organisation formed by key participants in China's currency market has urged banks to limit speculative foreign-exchange (forex) trading after the yuan climbed to a 6-year high versus peers.

The China Foreign Exchange Committee (CFEC) - founded under guidance from the central bank - encouraged lenders to be risk-neutral when trading forex for themselves and for clients, said people familiar with the matter.

Banks were advised to better track their proprietary trading and improve risk management, the sources said, citing a proposal made by core members of the organisation that was circulated to members.

The move could be the latest sign that Beijing has grown uncomfortable with a rapid ascent in the yuan.

The currency is the best performer in emerging markets this year as it benefits from robust exports and foreign investments in onshore bonds.

Against a basket of trading partners, the yuan last week soared to the highest since 2015, when the authorities devalued the currency to aid growth.

The CFEC suggests banks conduct internal reviews when trading volumes at proprietary desks deviate significantly from the norm, the sources said, asking not to be identified as the matter is private.

Proprietary trading that is 50 per cent higher than the level during the year-earlier quarter, or is more than 15 times the size of transactions done on behalf of clients could be considered abnormal, they said. Banks need to report their findings to the CFEC.

The proposal is targeted at more than 50 Chinese and overseas banks operating onshore, and covers over 90 per cent of the country's forex market, the souces said, adding that it will not impact on liquidity in the currency market.

The measures aim to strengthen standards for banks' forex businesses, especially proprietary desks, which tend to make speculative bets on one-way moves in currencies, they said.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) recently asked financial institutions and enterprises to step up exchange-rate risk management and to refrain from making one-way bets on the yuan.

Volatility of the currency may increase in future as overseas central banks have started adjusting monetary policy, the PBOC said in a statement, which was about a meeting held recently by the CFEC.

Reuters reported earlier that the CFEC proposed a plan to limit trading volumes at Chinese banks' proprietary desks. The organisation, founded in 2016, includes representatives from regulatory agencies and financial institutions. Calls to CFEC outside of regular business hours went unanswered. BLOOMBERG