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China says trade grew in August, but below forecasts

China's exports missed expectations but expanded 4.4% year-on-year in August, official data showed today, with falling US shipments offset by a jump in those to Southeast Asia and Europe.

Business • 13 hrs

Chinese exports grew 6.7% last month, customs data showed today, missing a forecast 8.5% increase and down from a 12.7% rise in October

China's exports slow, imports shrink ahead of US tariffs

China's exports slowed sharply and imports unexpectedly shrank in November, in a worrying sign for the world's second biggest economy as Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House brings fresh trade risks.

Business • 10 Dec 24

China's consumer price index, a key measure of inflation, rose 0.3% year-on-year in October, down from 0.4% in September

China consumer prices rise at slower rate in October

China's consumer inflation rate slowed in October, official data showed over the weekend, in a sign that demand remains sluggish in the world's second biggest economy.

Business • 11 Nov 24

Outbound shipments from the world's second-largest economy grew 7.6% year-on-year in value in May

China's exports rise, but slower imports temper outlook

China's exports grew more quickly and for a second month in May, suggesting factory owners are managing to find buyers overseas and providing some relief to the economy as it battles to mount a durable recovery.

Business • 07 Jun 24

China's manufacturing purchasing manager's index - a key measure of factory output - dipped to 49.5 last month, from April's 50.4

China factory activity slows for first time in 3 months

Factory activity in China shrank for the first time in three months in May, data showed today, a setback for Beijing as the sector is seen as a key driver of a fragile economic recovery owing to sluggish consumer spending.

Business • 31 May 24

The IMF has warned that growth in China would slow to 3.3% by 2029 due to an ageing population and slower expansion in productivity

IMF upgrades China's 2024, 2025 GDP growth forecasts

China's economy is set to grow 5% this year, after a "strong" first quarter, the International Monetary Fund said today, upgrading its earlier forecast of 4.6% expansion though it expects slower growth in the years ahead.

Business • 29 May 24

Chinese consumer prices edged up 0.3% in April from a year earlier, data from the National Bureau of Statistics show

China's consumer prices rise for third month in a row

China's consumer prices rose for a third month in a row in April, while producer prices extended declines, signalling an improvement in domestic demand, as Beijing navigates challenges in its bid to shore up a shaky economy.

Business • 13 May 24

Global GDP is likely to grow 2.4% this year, the World Bank forecast today in its latest Global Economic Prospects report

World Bank forecasts 2024 global growth to slow again

The World Bank has today warned that global growth in 2024 is set to slow for a third year in a row, prolonging poverty and debilitating debt levels in many developing countries.

Business • 09 Jan 24

Chinese exports fell 8.8% year-on-year, compared with a 14.5% plunge in July

China exports, imports fall again in August

China's exports and imports sank again in August, data showed today, as the world's second-largest economy struggles with sluggish global demand and a wider slowdown.

Business • 07 Sep 23

Annual profits at China's industrial firms extended a double-digit decline in the first five months of the year

China's industrial profits tumble, deepening gloom

Annual profits at China's industrial firms extended a double-digit decline in the first five months as softening demand squeezed margins, reinforcing hopes of more policy support to support a stuttering post-Covid economic recovery.

Business • 28 Jun 23

The steps come as authorities vow to clamp down on corruption in the country's $57 trillion financial sector

Bankers in China told to shun flashy clothes

From cutting salaries and bonuses and asking staff not to wear expensive clothes and watches at work, to reining in travel and entertainment expenses, Chinese financial firms have jumped on an austerity drive as Beijing pushes to bridge the wealth gap.

Business • 19 Jun 23

Data ranging from factory surveys and trade to loan growth and home sales have shown signs of weakness for the world's second-biggest economy

China's economy slows in May

China's economy stumbled in May with industrial output and retail sales growth missing forecasts, adding to expectations that Beijing will need to do more to shore up a shaky post-pandemic recovery.

Business • 15 Jun 23

China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index - a key measure of factory output - fell to 48.8 this month

China factory activity declines further in May

China's manufacturing activity shrank in May for the second successive month, official figures showed today, the latest sign that the country's economic recovery is losing steam.

Business • 31 May 23

While China's PMI hit a three-month high, it remained below the 50-point mark that separates contraction from growth for the third month in a row

Decline in China's factory activity slows as curbs ease

China's factory activity fell at a slower pace in May as Covid-19 curbs in major manufacturing hubs eased, but movement controls continued to weigh on demand and production.

Business • 31 May 22

The cut in China's mortgage reference rate comes as a wave of defaults ripples through China's property sector

China cuts key mortgage reference rate as Covid bites

China today announced it would cut a key interest rate in a boost to home buyers and debt-mired developers as the country's economy is slowed by Covid-19 restrictions ripping across major cities.

Business • 20 May 22

Brent is set to close out August with a fifth successive monthly price rise

Brent hits 5-month high on supply cuts, China data

Oil prices rose today, with Brent touching the highest in five months, underpinned by a 30% cut in Abu Dhabi crude supplies and encouraging Chinese data even as global demand struggles to return to pre-Covid levels in a well supplied market.

Business • 31 Aug 20

Chinese consumer inflation rose 5.2% year-on-year last month, slightly down from 5.4% the month before

China inflation still high on virus, food worries

The soaring price of pork and other food kept Chinese consumer inflation close to eight-year highs in February, official data showed today, as authorities battled the coronavirus outbreak.

Business • 10 Mar 20

Chinese industrial output rose just 5%, the slowest increase since 2002

More worry for China as industrial growth disappoints

China's economy showed further signs of weakness last month, with industrial output posting its slowest growth in 17 years.

Business • 14 Jun 19

the People's Bank of China has cut its reserve requirement for the fourth time this year

China slashes banks' reserve requirements

China's central bank has announced a steep cut in the level of cash that banks must hold as reserves.

Business • 08 Oct 18

The world economy is on course for growth of 3.7% this year and next year, the OECD said today

OECD trims economic outlook over trade woes

Global economic growth has peaked in the face of rising trade frictions and emerging market turbulence, the OECD said today, as it trimmed its earlier outlook.

Business • 20 Sep 18

Surveys of purchasing managers released today showed mounting pressure on factories across Europe and Asia

Factories globally feel the pinch from trade conflict

Global manufacturing activity took a hit from weak orders in August, surveys showed, a sign firms are feeling the pinch from an intensifying trade war between the US and China that could derail global growth.

Business • 03 Sep 18

Caixin/Markit services purchasing managers' index rose to 54.7 in January from December's 53.9

China's service sector grows at fastest pace in 6 years

China's services sector got off to a flying start in 2018, expanding at its fastest pace in almost six years as new orders surged and companies rushed to hire more staff.

Business • 05 Feb 18

China has increased its fight against pollution

China economy rebounds in 2017 with 6.9% growth

China's economy grew faster than expected in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, helped by a rebound in the industrial sector, a resilient property market and strong export growth.

Business • 18 Jan 18

China's retail sales rise by 10.3% in September, a boost for the overall economy

China's economic growth eases in third quarter

China's growth eased to 6.8% in the third quarter but remained higher than the government's full-year target.

Business • 19 Oct 17

China's purchasing managers' index (PMI), a gauge of factory conditions, came in at 51.7 - beating estimates

China factory activity picks up in June

An indicator of Chinese manufacturing activity beat forecasts in June but analysts warn the surprising result belied a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.

Business • 30 Jun 17

China Economy