In our presentation of our Hedgeye Macro Themes for Q1 of 2010, we used this Chinese PMI chart to emphasize our point. Our call was quite simply that the PMI was elevated and setting up to roll over from its recent 2009 highs. This morning the data reported for January did just that.
China’s PMI report for January slowed sequentially to 55.8 versus 56.6 in December.
While the sequential slowdown wasn’t material, the point is that the PMI stopped accelerating to the upside. Everything that matters in our macro model happens on the margin. The change of the slope of this line is a good example of that.
Did it matter? With Chinese stocks closing down another -1.6% overnight, taking them to -10.3% for the YTD, apparently it did. We are not calling for a crash in China. Our Chinese Ox In A Box call is simply that inflation will accelerated sequentially as growth slows. This is obviously starting to be priced in.
KM
Keith R. McCullough
Chief Executive Officer
