Chinese Currency Hits 3-Month Low: Trump's Anti-China Cabinet Appointments Rattle Investors

Chinese markets nosedived on Tuesday as news surfaced that President-elect Donald Trump is eyeing two China hawks, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), for top roles in his administration.

The potential appointments sparked fears of a tougher U.S. stance on China, sending the Chinese yuan tumbling and stock markets sharply lower in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Yuan, Chinese Stocks Take a Beating

In currency markets, the yuan slid past 7.4250 against the U.S. dollar, a level not seen since early August. The Shanghai Composite dropped 1.39% to close at 3,422, while the Shenzhen Component fell 0.65% to 11,314.

The Hong Kong Hang Seng Index had an even rougher day, plunging 580 points, or 2.8%, to finish at 19,847—its lowest close in six weeks.

This selloff comes amid growing concerns over a hardline shift in U.S.-China relations. Trump's rumored choice of Rubio, an outspoken critic of China, for Secretary of State, and Waltz, a NATO skeptic and China opponent, as national security adviser, suggests a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy toward Beijing.

If confirmed by the Senate, Rubio, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would be the first Latino to hold the position. Known for his hardline stance on China, Rubio has previously advocated for more stringent measures against Beijing on everything from trade to human rights issues.

Tech and insurance stocks bore the brunt of Tuesday's market rout in Hong Kong. Major Chinese firms saw their share prices sink, with Meituan, Lenovo, China Life Insurance and Semiconductor Manufacturing International recording daily losses between 5% and 8%.

U.S.-listed Chinese companies also experienced sharp premarket declines in New York. At 8 a.m. ET, Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. BABA was down 3.1%, PDD Holdings Inc. PDD dropped 2.8%, Baidu Inc. BIDU fell 2.9%, and electric vehicle makers NIO Inc. NIO and XPeng Inc. XPEV tumbled 4% and 6%, respectively.

Weak Credit Data Adds to Market Woes

The political tension came on the heels of lackluster credit data in China, adding to investors’ anxiety. October's new loans from Chinese banks totaled just 500 billion yuan—well below the forecast of 700 billion yuan and a sharp drop from September's figures. The disappointing credit numbers, coupled with the lowest monthly credit growth in 15 years, indicate that China's domestic demand remains fragile.

"China’s economy remains weak. The government seems to lack the will, or the way, to stimulate consumer demand," said veteran Wall Street strategist Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research.

"China announced a $1.4 trillion financing package on Friday. That’s a big number, but it will mostly go to cleaning up and refinancing local government debt," Yardeni added, underscoring skepticism about Beijing's ability to spur economic growth.

David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation, attributed the market reaction to a "disappointing" fiscal stimulus package announced last week by the National People's Congress (NPC). "Investors continue to respond to the underwhelming fiscal stimulus… There's now the prospect of a huge rise in tariffs, both in size and scope, on exports to the U.S. as threatened by President-elect Donald Trump," Morrison said.

Bank of America analyst Anna Zhou echoed concerns about the limited impact of recent policy measures but sounded slightly more optimistic about the future.

"Weak loan growth for both households and corporates continues to underscore fragile domestic demand," Zhou said.

"To turn credit demand around, more policy support is warranted. The recent pivot in policy stance has been a welcoming sign… we expect more measures to be rolled out in 2025 on both monetary and fiscal fronts, which could help stabilize demand and translate into better credit growth."

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