China's ODI sees stable development in 2018 -- China's outbound direct investment (ODI) rose 4.2 percent year on year to 129.83 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).Of the total, non-financial ODI edged up 0.3 percent to 120.5 billion dollars, while financial ODI surged 105.1 percent to 9.33 billion dollars.
China's rail freight volume grows by 9.1 pct in 2018 -- China's rail freight volume, an indicator of broad economic activity, rose 9.1 percent year on year in 2018. Railways carried 4.02 billion tonnes of freight last year, 334 million tonnes more than the previous year, according to the China Railway Corporation
China industrial output expansion better than expected: official -- China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded 6.3 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2018, higher than the 6 percent annual target, a senior official said on January 16.
China's house prices remain stable in December -- House prices in major Chinese cities remained stable in December as local governments largely continued control of the housing market, official data showed on January 16. On a monthly basis, new house prices in 59 of the 70 major cities monitored by the government gained in December, down from 63 a month earlier, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.Eight cities reported lower new house prices while three saw prices unchanged.
China's FDI growth rebounds in December -- Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland saw a rebound in December, jumping nearly 25 percent year on year, official data showed on January 14. FDI in December reached 92.34 billion yuan, up 24.9 percent year on year, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. In dollar terms, the investment was 13.71 billion U.S. dollars, up 23.2 percent. In 2018, FDI rose 0.9 percent to 885.61 billion yuan. In dollar terms, it climbed 3 percent to 134.97 billion dollars.
China doubles QFII quota to 300 bln USD -- China's forex regulator announced on January 14 that the total quota of the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFII) program had doubled to 300 billion U.S. dollars, a new step to open up the capital market. The move aims to meet demand from overseas investors to expand investment in China's capital market, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said in a statement.
China's foreign trade hits historic high in 2018 -- China's foreign trade rose 9.7 percent year on year to a historic high of 30.51 trillion yuan (about 4.5 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2018, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said on January 14. The value was 2.7 trillion yuan higher than that of 2017, according to the GAC. Exports rose 7.1 percent year on year to 16.42 trillion yuan last year, while imports grew 12.9 percent to 14.09 trillion yuan, resulting in a trade surplus of 2.33 trillion yuan, which narrowed by 18.3 percent.
China's sugar output, sales increase -- China's sugar output and sales both increased during the October-December period last year, the first quarter of the 2018-2019 crop year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The country produced 2.4 million tonnes of sugar during the period, up 3.4 percent year on year, according to a monthly report by the Chinese Agriculture Outlook Committee, an advisory body under the ministry. Meanwhile, 1.31 million tonnes of sugar was sold, up 26 percent year on year.
Chinese insurers' assets up 7.2 pct in 2018 -- Total assets of China's insurance sector saw a steady increase last year, with a rise in premium income, the country's top insurance regulator said. The sector saw assets rise by 7.2 percent year on year to 18 trillion yuan (2.65 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2018, while original premium income totaled 3.8 trillion yuan, up 3.9 percent, Liu Zhiqing, an official with the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, said at a recent meeting.
Loans of Chinese banks up 12.6 percent in 2018 -- China's banking institutions saw an increase in total assets in 2018, with a rapid increase in loans, the country's top banking regulator said. By the end of last year, onshore assets of the industry totaled 261.4 trillion yuan (38.49 trillion U.S. dollars), up 6.4 percent year on year, Liu Zhiqing, an official with the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, said at a recent meeting. Loans on the balance sheets of the banks climbed 12.6 percent year on year to 140.6 trillion yuan, Liu said.
China's auto sales expected to drag in 2019 -- China's auto market is expected to advance at a slow pace in 2019 as mild economic expansion might weigh upon big-ticket item consumption. About 28 million cars are likely to be sold in 2019, remaining flat with 2018, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).Commercial vehicles sales might edge up one percent year on year to reach 4.4 million units, while new energy vehicles sales are expected to register a fast clip at 33 percent year on year to reach about 1.6 million.
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