China's Regulators Tighten Screws On Forex Dealers

China's regulators are tightening control over the inner workings of its currency market, pressuring banks to trade less and in smaller ranges, two banking sources told Tom Westbrook of Reuters as part of a sweeping push to curb speculation.

Photo Insert: Analysts speculate the scrutiny might be aimed at tightening the leash on the yuan at a sensitive time when US policymakers prepare to withdraw monetary stimulus and China seems poised to add more.

The moves follow recent efforts at curtailing financial risks that include dampening commodity price rises, banning cryptocurrency transactions, and restricting property speculation. And they bring the campaign deeper into day-to-day operations on the dealing desks of a $30 trillion market.

It is also the latest example of scrutiny focused on foreign exchange, which analysts said might be aimed at tightening the leash on the yuan at a sensitive time when US policymakers prepare to withdraw monetary stimulus and China seems poised to add more.

Reuters reported earlier in September that brokers have dropped currency forecasts following regulatory pressure and reports the scrutiny of the interbank market for the first time. Authorities have also been hinting that banks and companies should prepare for volatility. In recent months many banks have also withdrawn individual FX trading products, closing another avenue for speculation.

Recently, representatives of China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) have embedded themselves on currency trading floors from commercial banks to major state-owned lenders, said the two sources at separate market-making banks.

They said the officials stayed for months, far longer than supervisory visits previously, and urged them to price customer deals faster and in tighter ranges, or spreads. The bid-ask spread is the difference between the price the bank charges clients and the price in the market, so narrowing it reduces trading banks' profit.

It could also help hem the yuan in a tighter trading range, but at the same time moves the risk from customers to the bank while a deal is being executed. One source said the regulator reminded them their role is to keep things steady or "smoothen fluctuations without pushing the yuan to either side."

They added that regulators had not visited foreign banks this year. Banks in Hong Kong do not participate in China's onshore interbank market.

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