China Economic Indicators Signal Slowdown

(RTTNews) - China's industrial production and retail sales logged weaker-than-expected growth in April, and investment shrunk signaling an economic slowdown in the second quarter as the ongoing Middle East conflict strain supply chains and push energy prices higher, official data revealed Monday.

Industrial production rose 4.1 percent year-on-year in April, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. Growth fell short of the expected rise of 6.0 percent and remained below March's increase of 5.7 percent.

Reflecting sluggish demand conditions, retail sales growth was subdued at 0.2 percent, marking the slowest rise since December 2022. This followed a 1.7 percent rise in March and was weaker than the expected growth of 2.0 percent.

During the January to April period, fixed asset investment dropped unexpectedly by 1.6 percent from the previous year. Investment was forecast to grow 1.7 percent. The decline largely reflected a 13.7 percent slump in property investment.

Meanwhile, the urban unemployment rate declined to 5.2 percent in April from 5.4 percent in the previous month.

A strong first quarter and continued resilience in exports suggest that China remains on track to meet its growth targets, ING economist Lynn Song said.

However, the sharper-than-expected deterioration in April's data highlights downside risks and should be seen as a warning sign that additional stimulus might be needed to stabilize the domestic side of the economy, Song added.

The economist observed that weaker growth as well as rising inflation could complicate policymaking in the coming months.

Beijing targets around 4.5-5 percent economic growth this year. The International Monetary Fund has forecast China's economy to grow 4.4 percent this year and 4.0 percent in 2027.