Dog chasing tail in Chinese central bank

Trading their own currency is becoming a nightmare for central bankers. Now China has to buy  Yuan after years of selling the stuff.  Even the SNB may be back to selling the franc.

MSN:   Data on Monday showed sight deposits at the SNB rose sharply last week, normally an indicator the bank has been selling francs in the market.

Its become topsy turvy as constant repricing turns the loop and comes back to bite the central banker in the rear.

Bloomberg: Managing the yuan is turning into a different game for China’s policy makers these days.
After more than a decade of curbing the currency’s gains to help turn the nation into a manufacturing colossus, there are signs the People’s Bank of China is now propping up the yuan to stem an exodus of capital that’s threatening the economy.
A gauge of capital flows on the PBOC’s balance sheet fell by the most since 2003 last month in a sign it’s selling foreign currency, while the yuan’s reference rate set daily by policy makers is at its strongest-ever level compared with the market price. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said today the nation would implement measures to manage the economy more effectively and boost competition.
“Everyone thought the movie would never end, and suddenly it ended, so everyone is hurrying to leave,” Kevin Lai, an economist at Daiwa Capital Markets in Hong Kong, said by phone on Jan. 22. “The authorities need to think of a way to keep the audience in the theater” as the economy slows, he said.
China amassed a world-leading $4 trillion of foreign-exchange reserves by mid-2014 as exports surged and capital flowed in, attracted by a currency that strengthened for four consecutive years. Now that the yuan’s gains are faltering, the PBOC is trying to prevent its declines from turning into a rout that could deter investment just as the economy suffers its slowest growth in 24 years.