中国经济数据打击多家公司股价

中国政府本周一发布了最新的贸易数据，结果不如人意，也预示着中国的需求疲软较预期更甚。消息传出后，大连商品交易所（Dalian Commodity Exchange）的钢材和铁矿石价格开始大幅下跌。

这也导致了采矿设备制造商久益环球（Joy Global）的股价在周一的交易日大跌18%。建筑设备制造商卡特彼勒（Caterpillar）的股价也下跌了3.5%。AK钢铁（AK Steel）和美国钢铁（U.S. Steel）分别下跌了14%。卡特彼勒和久益环球在2015年曾经受到过中国经济减速的影响，当时中国的数据显示，钢铁供过于求的情况还将持续下去。

在4月的报告中，中国的进口总额同比下跌了10.9%，分析家之前预计的跌幅是5%。这种低迷的表现进一步增加了人们的担忧：这个全球第二大经济体未来需求疲软的程度恐怕还会超出预计，尤其是中国的经济重心还在从制造业向服务业转移。毕竟在2014年，中国许多大型建筑项目上马，钢铁需求量占全球钢铁总需求量的比例达到了惊人的46%。

汇丰银行（HSBC）的分析师写到：“这种经济减缓的幅度可能还会引发一些疑问，例如中国国内需求回涨的潜在速度究竟如何。已经有传闻称，随着3月底宏观审慎政策的收紧，中国的房地产销量已经开始下滑。”

中国的铁矿石和钢铁期货分别下跌了5.9%和6%，这是2009年以来下跌最严重的一次。

路透社（Reuters）报道称，中国的大连商品交易所还决定采取进一步措施打击投机交易，抑制潜在的泡沫，这也导致了铁矿石和钢铁的廉价出清。

上个月，在中国政府的提振需求的刺激和改革政策下，大连商品交易所的股价出现了反弹，但本周一又下跌了5.6%。现在消费者不敢肯定中国的经济是否已经达到了最低点。

与此同时，据说费利浦•麦克莫兰铜金公司（Freeport-McMoRan）打算把在刚果共和国Tenke Fungurume铜矿的价值26.5亿美元的股份卖给中国的洛阳栾川钼业公司（China Molybdenum）。消息传出后，费利浦•麦克莫兰铜金公司的股价下跌了近11%。

世界钢铁协会（World Steel Association）在2015年的报告中写道：“事实表明，钢铁行业正在进入一段停滞期。但是中国之外的市场还会诞生新的需求，钢铁行业未来毫无疑问将会出现反弹。”（财富中文网）

译者：严匡正

On Monday, several U.S. stocks were hammered after China released disappointing trade figures suggesting that Chinese demand was weakening more than expected. Shares of steel and iron ore were down sharply on the Dalian Commodity Exchange.

That pushed shares of mining equipment manufacturer Joy Global JOY 5.80% down 18% in trading Monday, while construction equipment maker Caterpillar CAT 2.44% also fell 3.5%. AK Steel AKS 3.39% shed 14% while U.S. Steel X 2.34% fell 14%. Both Caterpillar and Joy Global were hit by the China slowdown in 2015, while the data from China also suggested a continued glut in steel supply.

China reported that in April, imports had slumped 10.9% from a year earlier, but analysts had been expecting 5%. The weak economic data continued to fuel concerns that the second largest economy in the world would show weaker than expected demand in the future, especially as the country transitioned from a manufacturing-based economy to a services focused one. After all, in 2014, China accounted for a whopping 46% of demand for steel as the country embarked on large construction projects.

“The sharpness of the slowdown may still raise some questions as to the underlying pace of recovery in domestic demand,” HSBC analysts wrote. “There have been some anecdotal reports that property sales volumes have slowed following the introduction of macro-prudential tightening in end-March.”

Iron ore futures fell 5.9% while steel fell 6% in China, making it the steepest drop since 2009.

The Dalian Commodity Exchange in China also decided to extend measures to cap speculative trading in an effort to dampen a potential bubble—which also contributed to the sell off in iron ore and steel, according to Reuters.

The Dalian Commodity Exchange fell 5.6% Monday, following a rally last month that stimulus and reforms from the Chinese government could drive up demand. But now, investors aren’t so sure that China’s economy has hit rock bottom.

Meanwhile, shares of Freeport-McMoRan have dropped nearly 11% following news that it would sell its $2.65 billion stake in the Tenke Fungurume copper mine in the Democratic Republican of Congo to Chinese company China Molybdenum.

“The evidence is that the steel industry is now entering a period of pause before undoubtedly picking up again when markets other than China drive new demand,” wrote the World Steel Association in a 2015 report.