Does credit directed through producers restore pricing power and profitability?
Core argument: A positive shock to China's M2 growth is followed by higher PPI inflation over roughly four quarters, peaking around the third quarter and significant at the 90% level, before fading, crossing zero after about five quarters, and turning negative.
[In China] structural monetary tools are designed to direct credit toward targeted sectors and support activity aligned with broader policy priorities. Our evidence suggests that when credit expansion operates mainly through the production side, it can sustain output, leverage, and balance-sheet expansion without restoring pricing power or profitability. Figure 4 reveals a cyclical pattern. A positive shock to M2 growth is followed by a positive response of PPI inflation over roughly the next four quarters, with the effect peaking around the third quarter and significant at the 90% level. The response then gradually fades, crosses zero after about five quarters, and turns negative thereafter. Faster aggregate credit growth is associated with disinflationary pressure over longer horizons, indicating that monetary easing does not generate sufficiently strong household demand.

