Category: personal_noteS

88% drop in new household mortgage Jan-Feb 2026 vs 2021

In the first two month of 2026, China households increased mid-to-long-term borrowing by 165.4 bn rmb, vs 1356.1 bn rmb in the first two month of 2021.

That is a decrease of 88%.

Households’ new mid-to-long-term borrowing is mostly associated with mortgages / housing purchases.

Details below.

Feb 2026 – PBOC

前两个月人民币贷款增加5.61万亿元。分部门看，住户贷款减少1942亿元，其中，短期贷款减少3596亿元，中长期贷款增加1654亿元；

Feb 2021 – PBOC

2月份人民币贷款增加1.36万亿元，同比多增4529亿元。分部门看，住户贷款增加1421亿元，其中，短期贷款减少2691亿元，中长期贷款增加4113亿元

Jan 2021 – PBOC

1月份人民币贷款增加3.58万亿元，同比多增2252亿元。分部门看，住户贷款增加1.27万亿元，其中，短期贷款增加3278亿元，中长期贷款增加9448亿元

China CPI is the strongest in years

Little inflation is a sign of weak economy, which China has been criticized for past few year.

That has changed.

China’s past 3-month core CPI (excl. food and energy) is the best in years, after February core CPI of 0.7% MoM.

The yoy number of 1.8% in Feb is also the highest in years – even higher than 1H of 2021.

Chinese policymakers kept their annual consumer inflation target steady at “around 2%” for 2026. Although China hasn’t seen 2% CPI for 3 years since Jan 2023, 2026 looks to be closer.

China: dominating renewable additional, but biggest oil net importer

Despite that

1/ Solar is now the dominant form of global capacity additions, comprising 60% of new capacity in 2024

2/ China is a renewable energy juggernaut: it now accounts for 50%-60% of all global new renewable capacity additions.

3/ Most renewable supply chains go through China.

It doesn’t change the fact that China is a big (and biggest) and growing net importer of oil. In 2024, China imported about 11.1 million barrels/day of crude oil.

 

Random action’s profound impact

A random thought while drying my hair –

Whether your hair (bangs) goes left or right is probably determined by which hand you use to hold the hairdryer in the first place / mostly of the time.

Actually, for me at least, I never change that choice of hand.

The more I use one hand, the easier to use that hand again. I feel awkward to use the other hand.

Thus that (always using the same hand) will pretty much determine how my hair parts.

Notes of Paul Tudor Jones (PTJ) on AI bubbles

Paul Tudor Jones on the AI Bubble Debate by Bloomberg

The only way to reduce debt to GDP is to have obviously nominal growth exceed your interest rate.

– Paul Tudor Jones

Here are notes for Paul’s interview and my opinions

  • Today feels like Oct 1999, but if this is a bubble, it’s a small one. Past bubbles ran 400–600%. Nasdaq is “only” ~200% off the bottom. Blow-off possible, not inevitable. [I agree; see my previous post Is it like internet bubble? in October]
  • Key bull case: rates. If Fed funds fall toward ~2.25–2.75%, that’s powerful fuel for equities. Markets look 6–9 months ahead, not at today’s data. [Sure]
  • Difference vs 1999: companies are profitable. [I don’t agree; I believe AI model companies like OpenAI etc. are losing a lot of money; let’s see when they publish numbers for IPOs]
  • Risk isn’t traditional leverage like in margin accounts — it’s derivative leverage: options, leveraged ETFs (up 250% from 2022 bottom), and trader-driven equity flows. [Very real]
  • Jones stays a trend follower. Recently, gold & silver > Bitcoin despite massive crypto inflows. He now expects precious metals to outperform crypto into year-end. [I wouldn’t agree back then; but I would be very wrong, so far]
  • Bond vigilantes were held in back; money debasement happened in gold and bitcoin instead. [True]
  • Biggest risk: concentration everywhere — stocks, investors, and policy power. [Agree]
  • Bottom line: short-term cautious, but Paul believes markets can be substantially higher by year-end. Likely long: Nasdaq. Short: Bonds.

Sea change?

1/ FSD approval in China.

I have seen various posts on Chinese social medias that Tesla FSD is being updated in China. Not many news mentions though. This was previewed by Elon Musk back in Nov 2025 and recently in Davos.

2/ TikTok US deal finalized

3/ Trump Administration Pushes Out Key Officials Focused on China Tech Threat – WSJ

4/ Medtronic and Mindray North America broaden strategic partnership

5/ H200 China approval after US approval

6/ BYD and ExxonMobil signed a long-term strategic cooperation memorandum on 26 January

 

—

Edit:

Jensen Huang on Jan 29 said H200 has yet to be approved in China.

Notes on JPY strength

Coordinated intervention

Reports that the New York Fed did “rate checks” (often interpreted as a potential prelude to intervention) plus Japan officials stressing coordination with the U.S. put the market on alert.

Previous examples

In March 2011, the G7 announced concerted intervention after extreme yen volatility following Japan’s earthquake.

What was happening in 2011?

Markets anticipated Japanese insurers and investors would bring money back to Japan to pay claims and fund rebuilding.

What’s happening now and why US wants a stronger yen now?

Excess volatility and disorderly FX moves can harm economic/financial stability

Japan’s finance minister has said the U.S. Treasury secretary shared concerns about “one-sided depreciation” of the yen, which signals the U.S. doesn’t want to be seen as tolerating a move that could be framed as giving Japan an unfair export boost.

A weak yen can worsen import-cost inflation and political stress in Japan.

Some exit from Japan might cause the temporary yen weakness (e.g. China selling).

 

 

Consumption is a bigger component of China’s GDP than fixed investments

China’s fixed investments in past 5 years

China reported 社会消费品零售总额 Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods (a narrower concept than consumption) is 501,202 亿元 in 2025, up 3.7% yoy.

China reported 社会消费品零售总额 is 487,895 亿元 in 2024.

From 2020 to 2025, fixed investments % of GDP has lowed from over 50% to 35%.

Meanwhile, 社会消费品零售总额 finally surpassed fixed investments in absolute amount in 2025, by a think margin.

Also see previous post on consumption: When we are saying China needs to boost household consumption