China protests fuel some bets for an earlier zero-Covid exit

Protesters gather along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China's harsh Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing on Nov 28, 2022. - AFP

BEIJING (Bloomberg): Swelling protests against China’s virus-induced curbs may end up encouraging President Xi Jinping to accelerate the nation’s exit from zero-Covid, according to some market watchers.

"I don’t expect Xi to publicly admit error or show weakness, but this wave of protests could cause the leadership to decide privately that the exit needs to proceed more quickly than previously planned,” said Gabriel Wildau, managing director at advisory firm Teneo Holdings LLC in New York.