Chinese Yuan Hits 4-year High

The Chinese Yuan touched 6.69 against the USD, the highest since July 2022. Over the past 4 weeks, US Dollar Chinese Yuan lost 0.55%, and in the last 12 months, it decreased 5.92%.

The offshore yuan strengthened to around 6.69 per dollar on Friday, extending gains from the previous session and reaching its strongest level since July 2022, as a firmer daily fixing from the People’s Bank of China continued to support the currency. The central bank set the daily midpoint at 6.7521 per dollar, stronger than Thursday’s 6.7580, marking an upward bias in the fixing for an eighth consecutive session and the longest such run since 2023. The move indicated that the central bank may be increasingly comfortable with a stronger yuan ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the US on September 24. A stronger currency could help alleviate some trade tensions between the two economies, as Western officials have argued that an undervalued yuan gives Chinese exporters a competitive edge. Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is also set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend.

The offshore yuan edged higher to around 6.70 per dollar on Thursday, after holding steady in the previous session, as China broadens currency clearing in a bid to advance the yuan’s internationalization. The Shanghai Clearing House started central counterparty (CCP) services for spot trades in the Singapore dollar, New Zealand dollar and Thai baht on Sept. 14, with twelve banks clearing 996 million yuan ($148 million) in the first session. The move could set the stage for more currencies to be cleared directly against the yuan as Beijing seeks to broaden its global use, alongside efforts by Chinese banks this year to expand clients’ access to direct yuan trading amid growing cross-border trade and investment. Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend for final preparatory talks ahead of the Sept. 24 summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in the US.