Explainer | China’s mixed bag: 4 takeaways from August as economic data tells complex tale
- Some indicators rise, including retail sales and industrial production, showing potential for improvement in coming months
- Worsening metrics for property, private sector investment cast doubt on faster recovery absent policy intervention
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released its economic data for August on Friday, showing both bright spots and weak links in China’s growth trajectory. Experts said Beijing may introduce more policies to spur activity in the coming months, but a strong recovery is still unlikely.
1. Retail sales, production on the rise
China’s retail sales rose by 4.6 per cent in August, year on year, up from the 2.5 per cent seen in July.
The total value of industrial production grew by 4.5 per cent in August, accelerating from a rise of 3.7 per cent in the previous month.
The consumer price index increased by 0.1 per cent in August from a year earlier, returning from negative territory after a fall of 0.3 per cent in July.
New bank loans bounced back to 1.36 trillion yuan (US$187 billion) in August, compared with 345.9 billion yuan in July and 1.25 trillion yuan the year before.
“Multiple indicators show China’s growth momentum stabilised or improved in August after the sharp deterioration in [the second quarter], suggesting that the worst of the latest deflationary shock to the economy is now past,” said the Gavekal Dragonomics think tank, in a report.
Goldman Sachs said the data came in above market expectations, indicating a gradual improvement amid an ongoing easing in policies.
2. Property investment on the decline
Investment in the property sector fell by 8.8 per cent in the first eight months of the year, compared with 8.5 per cent over the first seven months.
