China's industrial output expands 7 pct, beating expectations -- China's industrial output expanded 7 percent in April, increasing from the 6-percent rise in the previous month, official data showed on May 15. The growth was higher than market expectations of around 6.4 percent for the period. In the first four months, industrial output rose 6.9 percent, compared with the 6.8-percent gain in the first quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement.
China's fixed-asset investment growth eases further -- China's fixed-asset investment (FAI) rose 7 percent in the first four months of the year, down from 7.5 percent for January-March, data showed on May 15. This marked growth deceleration for two consecutive months. The pace was down from 8.9 percent registered during the same period of last year. On a monthly basis, the FAI edged up 0.52 percent in April, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
China retail sales up 9.4 pct in April -- China's retail sales of consumer goods grew 9.4 percent year on year to reach 2.85 trillion yuan (about 450 billion U.S. dollars) in April, official data showed on May 14. The expansion dropped slightly from the 10.1-percent rise seen in March, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The data showed sales in rural areas gained 10.6 percent in April, outpacing the 9.2 percent in urban areas.
China's service trade deficit dips 5.3 pct in 2017 -- China's service trade deficit fell 5.3 percent in 2017, pointing to an optimized structure, according to a foreign trade report by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). The country's service trade deficit stood at about 1.62 trillion yuan (about 255 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to the MOC report issued last week. Exports of trade in services rose 10.6 percent to 1.54 trillion yuan, while imports climbed 5.1 percent to 3.16 trillion yuan.
China's fiscal revenue posts steady growth in April -- China's fiscal revenue maintained double-digit growth in April due to steadily increasing tax income, data from the Ministry of Finance (MOF) showed on May 14. Fiscal revenue rose 11 percent year on year to 1.85 trillion yuan (291.6 billion U.S. dollars) last month, with tax revenue up 14.6 percent to reach 1.66 trillion yuan, according to the ministry.
China's sugar consumption expected to rise -- China's sugar consumption is predicted to increase from October 2018 to September 2019 due to expectations of lower sugar prices, according to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The country will consume 15.2 million tonnes of sugar during the period, up 200,000 tonnes year on year, said the report released by the Chinese Agriculture Outlook Committee, an advisory body with the ministry. Consumption will be boosted by falling sugar prices, as increased global sugar output results in oversupply, the report said.
China's farm produce prices continue to dip -- China's farm produce prices continued to fall in the week ending May 13, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce. The price index for farm produce dipped 0.9 percent in the past week, compared with a 0.6-percent decline in the previous week. The index for production materials edged up 0.2 percent. The average wholesale price of 30 kinds of vegetables dropped 2.7 percent from a week earlier, a steeper decline than the 1.4-percent decrease in the previous week.
China's commercial banks earnings rise in Q1 -- China's commercial banks saw faster growth in profits for the first quarter of the year, with a stable bad loan ratio, data showed. China's commercial banks made combined net profits of 522.2 billion yuan (about 82.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months, up 5.86 percent year on year, data from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission showed. The growth was 1.25 percentage points faster than the same period last year. By the end of March, the non-performing loan ratio of commercial banks stood at 1.75 percent, almost flat compared with the end of 2017.
China's power generation up 2.1 pct in March -- China's major power plants generated 528.34 billion kilowatt-hours of power in March, up 2.1 percent year on year, data showed. Thermal power production reached 401.74 billion kilowatt-hours with a year-on-year increase of 1.4 percent in March, while hydropower and nuclear power plants created 66.47 billion kilowatt-hours and 21.76 billion kilowatt-hours, respectively, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
China sees unemployment remain steady in April -- China continued to see the job market remain stable in April, with the unemployment rate at a relatively low level, official data showed on May 15.The monthly surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas was 4.9 percent in April, down 0.2 percentage points from March and 0.1 percentage points lower than last April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
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