China Said to Ask Firms to Delay Bad Results During Congress

The China Securities Regulatory Commission made its requests via the country‘s stock exchanges, the people said, asking not to be named as they‘re not authorized to talk to the media. At least 17 Shenzhen-listed companies announced delays to their earnings reports from Oct. 20 to Oct. 24, up from three during the same period last year, exchange filings show. The CSRC and China‘s bourses didn‘t immediately respond to faxed requests for comment.

Chinese regulators have stepped up efforts to quell market volatility during the twice-a-decade congress, a highly-choreographed reshuffling of the country‘s top leadership that‘s expected to shape President Xi Jinping‘s influence into the next decade. While the smallest equity swings in 25 years suggest government interference has worked, critics argue that China‘s leaders have backpedaled on a pledge to give market forces a more central role in the world‘s second-largest economy.