When is a bad loan not a bad loan? When China’s government says it isn’t

China has told its big government controlled banks to roll over loans to local governments. That means local governments that borrowed from the banks to pay for the 2008 stimulus plan ordered by Beijing and to finance everything from factories to roads to apartment complexes to shopping malls to the tune of 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion) won’t have to pay back those loans as they mature.

Inflation in China continues to slow–watch the GDP data for the fourth quarter set for release on January 17

Inflation at the consumer level fell to a 15-month low in December, China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced today. Inflation at the producer level fell to the lowest rate in two years.The path to another cut by the People’s Bank of China in the bank reserve requirement before the Lunar New Year holiday is now wide open.