Should we worry about a Chinese slowdown?

The markets are not quite sure what to make of China at the moment. Is the economy overheating or slowing down too fast? In truth, both concerns are probably overstated, says Cris Sholto Heaton. Here, he looks at how China and its neighbours are doing, and picks out the the main risks for investors to look out for.

The markets have two main fears when it comes to China. The first is whether the economy is growing too quickly. The second is whether it's slowing too fast.

Obviously it's pretty hard to worry about both at the same time. But sentiment can turn on a sixpence. A few weeks ago, it was received wisdom that China was overheating. Now there's even speculation that policymakers will be cutting rates later this year.

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Cris Sholto Heaton

Cris Sholto Heaton is an investment analyst and writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2006 and was managing editor of the magazine between 2016 and 2018. He is especially interested in international investing, believing many investors still focus too much on their home markets and that it pays to take advantage of all the opportunities the world offers. He often writes about Asian equities, international income and global asset allocation.

Cris began his career in financial services consultancy at PwC and Lane Clark & Peacock, before an abrupt change of direction into oil, gas and energy at Petroleum Economist and Platts and subsequently into investment research and writing. In addition to his articles for MoneyWeek, he also works with a number of asset managers, consultancies and financial information providers.

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and the Investment Management Certificate, as well as degrees in finance and mathematics. He has also studied acting, film-making and photography, and strongly suspects that an awareness of what makes a compelling story is just as important for understanding markets as any amount of qualifications.