Summary of Key Points Core Viewpoint The foreign exchange market in August 2025 showed stable trading conditions, with a slight year-on-year decline in average daily trading volume. The US dollar index weakened, while the Chinese yuan accelerated its appreciation. The domestic foreign exchange differential turned positive, indicating strong selling pressure towards the end of the month. The options market reflected a rising short-term appreciation expectation for the yuan, and the narrowing of the US-China interest rate differential led to a significant increase in long-term swap points. Group 1: Foreign Exchange Market Performance - The average daily trading volume in the interbank foreign exchange market was $191.86 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 1.3% and a month-on-month decrease of 7.1% [2] - The average daily trading volume for the yuan was $136.03 billion, down 9.3% year-on-year and 7.7% month-on-month [2] Group 2: US Dollar and Yuan Exchange Rates - The US dollar index fell from around 100.25 to 98.72, closing at 97.7710, marking a 2.29% depreciation for the month [3] - The yuan's central parity rate appreciated significantly, reaching 7.1030 by the end of the month, the highest since November 2024, with an onshore yuan closing at 7.1330, appreciating 0.83% for the month [4] Group 3: Foreign Exchange Differential - The domestic foreign exchange differential shifted from negative to positive, with the average differential for the month at -28 basis points, and the maximum differential recorded at -97 basis points [5] - The onshore yuan appreciated by 1.02% against the offshore yuan by the end of the month [5] Group 4: Options Market Activity - The average daily trading volume in the yuan foreign exchange options market was $5.83 billion, down 22.5% month-on-month [6] - The implied volatility for the yuan showed signs of rising short-term appreciation expectations, with the 1-month ATM implied volatility rebounding to 2.86% by month-end [6] Group 5: Interest Rate Differentials and Swap Points - The 10-year US Treasury yield decreased to 4.23%, leading to a narrowing of the US-China interest rate differential to -239 basis points, a reduction of 32 basis points from the previous month [7] - The 1-year swap points rose significantly to -1583 basis points, marking a 232 basis point increase, the highest since March 2023 [8] Group 6: Dollar Liquidity and Interest Rates - The dollar liquidity remained loose, with the SOFR fluctuating around 4.34% throughout the month [9] - The domestic dollar borrowing rates showed a slight upward trend, with the overnight borrowing rate ending at 4.28% [10]

Core Viewpoint - In June, the interbank foreign exchange market in China showed stable trading performance amid increasing geopolitical risks, easing uncertainties in U.S. trade policies, and new progress in China-U.S. economic and trade consultations [1] Trading Volume - The average daily trading volume in the interbank foreign exchange market reached $208.217 billion in June, marking a year-on-year increase of 15.71% and remaining above $200 billion for three consecutive months [3] - The average daily trading volume for the RMB foreign exchange market was $152.444 billion, reflecting an 8.89% year-on-year increase but a 3.58% month-on-month decline [3] - The foreign currency market and foreign currency interest rate market saw trading activity increase by over 30% year-on-year [3] Currency Exchange Rates - The U.S. dollar index initially rose and then fell, ending June at 96.77, a depreciation of 2.68% for the month [2] - The RMB exchange rate against the U.S. dollar fluctuated and rose, with the central parity rate on June 20 at 7.1695 [2] - The CFETS index for the RMB against a basket of currencies fell to 95.35 points by the end of June, a cumulative depreciation of 0.64% for the month [2] Interest Rate Differentials - The interest rate differential between China and the U.S. continued to narrow, with the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield dropping to 4.23% by the end of June [4] - The 10-year China-U.S. Treasury yield spread narrowed to -264 basis points, a decrease of 10 basis points from the previous month [4] Swap Points - The 1-year swap points rose to -1866 basis points by the end of June, an increase of 194 basis points, marking the highest level in nearly eight months [4] - The difference between the 1-year swap points and the theoretical value based on interest rate parity turned positive, ending at 117 basis points, the highest this year [5] - The overnight interest rate differential between domestic and foreign dollars remained negative throughout June, with the month-end rate at -18 basis points [5]

Exchange Rate Trends - The RMB central parity rate has shown a gradual appreciation since July, with the rate breaking 7.14, indicating a strong upward signal[2] - The USD/CNY exchange rate has fluctuated around 7.17, reflecting a "strong central rate, weak spot rate" dynamic[7] - The central parity rate has increased by 0.23% since July 1, 2025, reaching a low of 7.1385, the lowest since November 2024[7] Cross-Border Capital Flows - In the first half of 2025, the net inflow of foreign exchange was $30.89 billion, with a trade surplus of $43.57 billion from January to June[24] - The average active settlement rate for export enterprises was 47.13% in the first half of 2025, down from 48.37% in the same period of 2024[26] - The forward settlement scale increased by $44.33 billion from April to June 2025, indicating expectations of RMB appreciation[28] Foreign Investment and Market Sentiment - Foreign investment in domestic stocks and funds reached a net increase of $10.1 billion in the first half of 2025, reversing a two-year trend of net selling[34] - The net inflow from securities investment projects was $18.06 billion in the first half of 2025, with a surplus of $7.736 billion in June alone[38] Risk Factors - Potential risks include fluctuating U.S. tariff policies, unclear Federal Reserve interest rate paths, and the impact of non-U.S. currency movements on the RMB[40] - The average holding cost of the "waiting for settlement" funds is approximately 7.05, with a total scale of about $400 billion as of June 2025[32]

Group 1: Offshore Renminbi Market - In June, both offshore (CNH) and onshore (CNY) Renminbi appreciated against the US dollar, with CNH closing at 7.1575 and CNY at 7.1656, representing increases of 0.68% and 0.41% respectively compared to the previous month [3][4] - The average daily spread between CNY and CNH increased by 5 basis points to 66 basis points [3] - The CFETS Renminbi exchange rate index and indices based on BIS and SDR currency baskets decreased by 0.64%, 0.86%, and 0.86% respectively [3] Group 2: Offshore Renminbi Bond Market - In June, the offshore Renminbi bond market issued 100 bonds, an increase of 12 bonds from the previous month, with a total issuance amount of 779.71 billion, reflecting a 124.8% increase [5] Group 3: Offshore Renminbi Currency Market - As of the end of June, the CNH HIBOR rates for overnight, 7-day, 3-month, and 1-year were 1.9454%, 1.8341%, 1.9045%, and 1.9882% respectively, showing a mixed trend with overnight rates decreasing by 10 basis points while the others increased [6] - The average interest rate spread between offshore and onshore borrowing rates increased for overnight, 7-day, and 3-month terms, while the 1-year term remained unchanged [6] Group 4: Cross-Border Trade and Deposits - In May 2025, offshore Renminbi deposits in Hong Kong decreased by 5.4% to 9756.08 billion, while Taiwan saw a 4.2% increase to 1174.34 billion [2] - Cross-border trade settlement in Hong Kong amounted to 11235.7 billion, a decrease of 17.5% from the previous month [2] Group 5: Offshore Derivatives Market - In June, the 1-year CNH swap points rose by 99 basis points to -1746 basis points, while CNY swap points increased by 194 basis points to -1866 basis points [4] - The trading volume for USD/CNH futures contracts on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange increased by 14.68% to 2.527 million contracts, while the open interest decreased by 14.68% to 33,600 contracts [4]