China’s GDP forecasts cut by some banks to below 5% target, Beijing facing ‘critical point’

Some major investment banks cut their forecasts for China’s 2024 economic growth to below 5 per cent following disappointing second-quarter data

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China posts 4.7% second-quarter growth, lower than expected

Amanda Lee

Published: 4:36pm, 16 Jul 2024

A slew of disappointing economic data from China spurred some major investment banks to cut their 2024 growth forecasts to below Beijing’s annual target, with some highlighting significant downside risks in the coming months.

Barclays reduced its gross domestic product forecast from 5 per cent to 4.8 per cent, while Goldman Sachs cut its prediction from 5 per cent to 4.9 per cent after China on Monday released lower than expected second-quarter growth of 4.7 per cent compared to a year earlier.

The reading was also weaker than the 5.3 per cent growth recorded in the first quarter, and was below the around 5 per cent target for 2024 overall.

“To counteract weak domestic demand, we believe more policy easing is necessary through the remainder of this year,” Goldman Sachs analysts led by Lisheng Wang said on Monday.

They added that the latest set of economic data highlighted the continued, significant and cross-sector divergence in the world’s second-largest economy, with strong exports and manufacturing activity, relatively stable service consumption in volume terms and still depressed property activity.

Singapore’s UOB Group, meanwhile, also downgraded their 2024 forecast from 5.1 per cent to 4.9 per cent, pointing to poor retail sales as an indicator of an uneven recovery.