Zhou Pulling China Punch Bowl Set to Shape PBOC Legacy

Zhou Xiaochuan earned distinction as the G-20’s longest-serving central bank chief helping keep China out of a financial crisis the past decade. In the wake of June’s record liquidity squeeze, his legacy hangs in the balance.

Zhou and his colleagues at the People’s Bank of China left investors, bankers and market participants in the dark for four days after the overnight lending rate between banks hit a record 11.7 percent June 20 before releasing a week-old statement as the central bank’s first word on its objectives. Zhou himself kept mum until he reiterated a pledge to maintain market stability on June 28.