China's industrial profits up 22.7 pct in Jan.-May -- China's major industrial firms posted double-digit growth in profits in the first five months of this year, adding to signs of a stabilizing Chinese economy, official data showed on June 27. The companies reported a 22.7-percent profit increase in the five-month period from one year earlier, down from 24.4 percent in the first four months but much faster than the 8.5-percent increase in 2016, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.
Chinese state firms' profits grow faster -- Profit growth at China's state-owned enterprises (SOE) quickened in the first five months of the year as the national economy continued to improve, official data showed. Combined profits of SOEs totaled 1.04 trillion yuan (152.14 billion U.S. dollars) for January-May, up 25.5 percent year on year, according to figures released on June 26 by the Ministry of Finance.
China's freight growth accelerates in May -- The growth rate of China's national freight volume, an indicator of economic activity, accelerated in May, official data showed on June 27. Railways, highways and waterways carried a total of 4.06 billion tonnes of cargo in May, up 9.9 percent year on year, 0.2 percentage points higher than the growth in April, Ministry of Transport data showed.
Freight volume for the first five months rose 9.5 percent year on year to 17.62 billion tonnes, according to the ministry.
China e-commerce market to grow 19 pct in 2017 -- The e-commerce market in China is expected to grow by about 19 percent year on year in 2017, a report said. China has entered "a new retail era" characterized by online and offline (o2o) retail that has created huge potential and demand, especially for customized products, according to a report released by consulting firm McKinsey & Company on June 22.
Beijing enterprise investment in Belt and Road close to 1.5 bln USD -- Direct investment of Beijing enterprises in 31 countries along the Belt and Road totaled about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars from 2013 to 2016, according to Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce. The investment was mainly in the commercial services, manufacturing and construction, said Yan Ligang of the commission.
Ukraine's industrial output down 1.3 pct in January-May -- Ukraine's industrial output was down 1.3 percent year-on-year in January-May 2017 mainly due to the blockade in the eastern mining region of Donbas, official data showed. In the first five months of 2017, industrial production in the Lugansk region dipped 28 percent, while in the Donetsk region the output was down 13 percent from a year earlier, the State Statistics Service said in a report.
China's mobile video shopping market expands in 2016 -- China's online shopping via mobile videos saw improved sales last year with a growing number of young consumers, a report showed on June 26. Sales volume of mobile video shopping grew 174 percent year on year, according to the report released by the Ministry of Commerce. Traditional TV shopping saw sales slide. The country's 34 TV shopping enterprises only made in 36.6 billion yuan (5.4 billion U.S. dollars) last year, down eight percent.
Brazil to lower GDP expectations due to political crisis -- Brazilian Minister of Finance Henrique Meirelles said on June 28 that the government is seeking to lower its 2017 GDP expectations, currently at 0.5 percent, due to the current political crisis. The government had previously reduced its prediction from 1 to 0.5 percent in April.
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