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SEB’s China Financial Index shows confidence is gradually picking up

SEB's China Financial Index, which measures the business outlook among northern European companies' subsidiaries in China, increased to 57.8 in May from 55.8 in December last year and 54.9 one year ago.

After China lifted almost all of its Covid-19 containment measures, the positive recovery in the business outlook continued during the spring, and companies are now expecting both order intake and profits to rise over the next six months. At the same time, investment and staffing are under pressure due to concerns about customer demand, competition and geopolitics.

The spring edition of the China Financial Index is the first since China officially lifted almost all of its Covid-19 containment measures. With China’s borders opening up after three years of Covid-19 related measures, China’s GDP growth improved to 4.5 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023. The country’s official GDP growth target for this year is set at around 5 per cent and with a good start to the year, SEB expects China’s GDP growth to reach 5.9 per cent in the full year 2023.

“Overall, sentiment among Northern European corporates doing business in China has turned more optimistic,“ said Juliette Xue Lascoux, General Manager of SEB Shanghai. “With more and more business visits taking place since the re-opening of China, foreign companies have started to become more forward-looking – setting up new strategies to meet the new challenges and opportunities that are emerging. We believe sentiment during the rest of the year will be dependent both on the overall performance of the Chinese economy and the operating environment for foreign companies in China.”

Looking at the sub-indices of the survey, both order intake and profit improved – with the order intake index rising to 60.3 from 53.7 in December and profit increasing to 60.7 from 53.7 in December. Half of the survey respondents now expect sales growth of 5-20 per cent in the next six months, while 43 per cent of the respondents now expect profit growth of 5-20 per cent.

On the other hand, the investment and staffing indices are lower, with companies expressing concern about customer demand, competition and geopolitical risk. This has halted decision-making at the headquarters about new investments in China and expansion in terms of new staff hires.

"New investments are expected to slow down,” said Juliette Xue Lascoux. “With Chinese borders closed for the past three years, on-site visits were almost impossible and with online meetings only, foreign companies were unable to make decisions about new investments. Geopolitical developments in the past three years may also have impacted their investment decisions negatively, in our view.”

The survey also showed that customer demand is now the main concern among the survey participants, with some 45 per cent citing that as their top concern over the next six months. Compared to the surveys in December last year and spring 2022, supply-chain disruptions are no longer any major concern for the survey respondents. Instead, competition and geopolitics have emerged as the two other major concerns, showing the more longer-term nature of these worries.

About the survey
SEB’s China Financial Index was first launched in 2007 and is today based on input from CEOs, CFOs or Treasurers at 60 subsidiaries of major Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, German, British and Swiss companies. The latest survey was conducted between 4-26 May 2023.

For further information, contact:
Juliette Xue Lascoux, General Manager of SEB Shanghai
+86 21 2052 1888
juliette.lascoux@seb.se

Press contact:
Niklas Magnusson, Head of Media Relations & External Communication
+46 70 763 8243
niklas.x.magnusson@seb.se

SEB is a leading northern European financial services group with international reach. We exist to positively shape the future with responsible advice and capital, today and for generations to come. By partnering with our customers, we want to be a leading catalyst in the transition to a more sustainable world. In Sweden and the Baltic countries, SEB offers financial advice and a wide range of financial services. In Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany and the United Kingdom, we have a strong focus on corporate and investment banking based on a full-service offering to corporate and institutional clients. The international nature of SEB's business is reflected in our presence in more than 20 countries worldwide, with around 16,500 employees. At 31 March 2023, the Group's total assets amounted to SEK 3,802bn while assets under management totalled SEK 2,221bn. Read more about SEB at sebgroup.com.