For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – August 13, 2015 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog includetheChina Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. (ZNH),China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. (CEA),Huaneng Power International, Inc. (HNP),Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE) and Trina Solar Limited ( TSL). Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free. Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog: 5 China Stocks to Watch After Currency Devaluation The largest devaluation of the yuan in nearly 20 years triggered a worldwide decline in stocks and sparked fears of a possible currency war. The move was seen as an attempt to shore up the economy after exports declined more than expected and producer prices slumped to a near six-year low. Following the devaluation, it is expected that exporters will benefit. On the other hand, companies which import inputs or hold a large amount of dollar denominated debt are expected to be negatively impacted by the move. Global Markets Feel the Heat Indices across the world underwent a slump following the move. All three U.S. benchmarks fell by at least 1%. The decline of the yuan had a particularly detrimental effect on commodity stocks. The Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) declined 1.9% and was the biggest decliner among the S&P 500 sectors. European stocks also felt the heat, with the STOXX Europe 600 losing 2.1%. Germany stocks were hit the hardest, with the benchmark DAX 30 falling 2.4%. Only Greece’s markets remained unscathed after the country finally concluded a deal with its creditors. Economic Data Indicates Slowdown Several economic indicators in China have signaled for some time now that a slowdown is in progress. Data on manufacturing released last week has been disappointing in nature, indicating underlying China’s economic weakness. One section of analysts opines that the market needs to rebound by itself for investor sentiment to improve. There was fresh evidence of an economic slump over the weekend. Producer prices declined to the lowest level in six years in July. Additionally, exports recorded a greater than expected decline. Government Efforts to Boost Markets, Economy China’s government has taken a series of steps to boost its sluggish economy and its struggling stocks market. On the economic front, reforms of government owned enterprises have been accelerated. Authorities have also eased regulations on the purchase of real estate. This is an attempt to prop up a sector which was substantially responsible for the country’s spectacular growth record but is now undergoing a slump. Meanwhile, the market regulator has stepped in to reduce trading irregularities the Measures included suspension of trading for 1,400 and more companies, preventing shareholders from offloading stakes, delaying IPOs and providing a government agency with access to funds in excess of $480 billion to fund purchase of equities. Currency War Fears The move to reduce the yuan’s daily reference rate by 1.9% is the latest in the series of attempts to prop up the economy. To international analysts and market watchers, it reflects the extent to which authorities are concerned about the state of things. However, globally there are fears that the move may spark off a currency war. In this situation, it is likely that China may devalue its currency again in the coming months. This is expected to trigger reprisals in the form of similar lowering of exchange rates by currencies worldwide. China seems to be following in the footsteps of Europe, which has taken such action recently, also to boost its economy. Meanwhile, the U.S. is looking to slowly ease monetary stimulus. One view is that the devaluation is likely to put off a September rate hike. Others feel that this is a blip and the Fed is ready to make its move. Stocks to Watch China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. (ZNH) slumped 18% on the Hong Kong exchange following this move. This comes as no surprise, since according to its 2014 numbers, a 1% decline in the yuan reduces $122 million of annual profit. The reason for this is that 93.3% of the airline’s debt was dollar denominated in 2014. China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. (CEA) has an even larger proportion of dollar denominated debt at 97.2%. The case for this carrier looks even grimmer. Both are expected to suffer substantially from this move. Huaneng Power International, Inc. (HNP) develops, constructs, owns and operates large coal-fired power plants throughout China. The country is both the world’s largest producer and importer of coal. Even though coal futures declined to a near 10-year low following the devaluation, the demand for power is expected to rise as China switches to a consumer driven economy. Given that imports are expected to be costlier, it is expected that the current exchange rate reduction and possible further reductions are expected to push up costs for the power producer. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (YGE) is a major producer of PV modules at the global level. While a boom in solar exports has fueled growth for the company, it has been beset by problem of allegations levelled by U.S. competitors in recent times. These companies had alleged that Yingli and other China PV producers were benefiting from substantial government subsidies. Following these reports, heavy subsidies were levied, forcing Yingli and other companies to cut prices, leading to a squeeze on margins. It is expected that the rate cut may alleviate some of this burden. Trina Solar Limited (TSL) which also makes solar modules and develops and constructs solar projects is also expected to benefit from this move. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> About Zacks Equity Research Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term. Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons. 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CHINA SOUTH-ADR (ZNH): Free Stock Analysis Report
CHINA EASTN-ADR (CEA): Free Stock Analysis Report
HUANENG POWER (HNP): Free Stock Analysis Report
YINGLI GREEN EN (YGE): Free Stock Analysis Report
TRINA SOLAR LTD (TSL): Free Stock Analysis Report
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