BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A new report from U.S.
investment bank Goldman Sachs takes a confident stance about the long-term
prospects of China's stock market.
Goldman Sachs updated an earlier prediction to claim
that the H share index would hit 12,000 points at the end of 2007 and opined
that Chinese stocks would resume their upward movement in the second half of
this year.
China's economy is ticking over well and the
fundamentals of Chinese companies are strong, economists from Goldman Sachs
believe.
Further potential for RMB appreciation is also having
a positive effect on business, the report said.
The recent market slump reflects the over-valuation
of the A-share market and concerns about macro-control measures, said a company
analyst.
Profit-taking and concerns about stock market risk
are also factors in the market jitters, he said.
Goldman Sachs is still optimistic about the earnings
prospects for H-shares and A-shares, adding that both markets are unlikely to
drop more than 2.5 percent and 15 percent respectively.
On Feb. 27, Chinese stocks suffered their biggest
single-day fall in a decade, plunging 8.8 percent, triggering a domino effect on
global capital markets.
Hong Kong's blue chip Hang Seng Index fell 360
points, or 1.8 percent. The Dow Jones industrial index dived 416.02 points, or
3.29 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 50.33 points, or 3.47
percent, and the Nasdaq composite index was down 96.65 points, or 3.86 percent.