China Eastern Airlines (CEA.NYSE), the national’s second-largest carrier by passengers, sank to six-month low in US trading after China’s central bank doubled the daily trading band to 1% on April 14th, Bloomberg reported. Shares of China Southern Airlines (ZNH.NYSE, 1055.HKG, 600029.SH), the nation’s largest carrier, also dropped upon the news. American depositary receipts of China Eastern plunged 3.6% to US$15 yesterday, the lowest close since Oct 7th last year while Hong Kong shares dropped 4.9% to US$0.30 (HK$2.32). China Eastern said that yuan fluctuations have led to “significantly lower” currency earnings compared with the first quarter of 2011. “Chinese airlines…may be impacted by the currency policy change should the yuan react with depreciation,” said Alex Ashby, a New York-based research analyst at Global X Funds. Both China Eastern and China Southern forecast falls of over 50% in net income in the first quarter 2012 due to smaller foreign-exchange gains, higher fuel prices and weaker economic growth.
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