China’s Policy Reversal Sparks ‘Mind Boggling’ Stock Rally

Just a few weeks ago, many investors in China’s stock markets were ready to give up and eager to sell. Then late last month, traders rushed in to make bullish bets after the government’s leaders announced a series of steps to stimulate China’s faltering economy.

On Tuesday, following a weeklong national holiday, trading in mainland China resumed and investors picked up where they left off. The CSI 300, an index of large companies traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen, jumped almost 6 percent. It marked the tenth straight day of increases, soaring almost 35 percent during the period.

Before the holiday, the Chinese government had jolted stock markets sharply higher with a package of measures aimed at halting the cycle of falling real estate prices and weakening consumer confidence.

The central bank and other top financial agencies announced on Sept. 24 that they were cutting interest rates, reducing the minimum down payments for mortgages, and encouraging banks to lend more money for investors to buy shares.

Two days later, the ruling Politburo issued an uncommonly blunt call for more to be done to help the economy. Several municipal governments soon followed by trimming or dismantling their restrictions on real estate purchases as a way to stabilize the housing market in their cities.