Developments in China shake up the outlook

Three key developments in China over the past month or so are worth highlighting, as they feed into our broader asset allocation forecasts for the next couple of years. First, what started as a regulatory crackdown on a handful of sectors seems to have morphed into a broader ideological campaign, with major implications for a wide range of Chinese companies. Second, distressed property developer Evergrande has slid further towards default, heightening concerns about the country’s construction sector in particular, and its financial system more generally. Third, China’s economy generally has shown further signs of slowing.