The Economist (June 18)
“China’s economy is on course for a ‘double dip.’ The post-covid economy was meant to roar. But it is faltering again.” Since April, “retail sales, investment and property sales all fell short of expectations. And the unemployment rate among China’s urban youth rose above 20%, the highest since data began to be recorded in 2018.”
Tags: China, Double-dip, Economy, Expectations, Faltering, Investment, Post-Covid, Property sales, Retail sales, Unemployment rate, Urban youth
Wall Street Journal (September 16)
“Economic activity in China cooled further in August.” Economists had expected a rebound from the troughs of July. Instead, “softness was visible last month in nearly every aspect of the Chinese economy, with industrial output and retail sales data pointing to sluggish demand and low confidence among businesses and consumers.”
Tags: August, China, Confidence, Consumers, Demand, Economy, Industrial output, Retail sales, Sluggish, Softness, Troughs
The Economist (September 26)
“With China’s “decades-old investment boom fast dwindling, it needs consumption to kick in as a new driver of growth.” Fortunately, rebalancing is progressing with retail sales increasing “by 10.5% in real terms this year, well ahead of economic growth.” Amid industrial downturn, “China’s consumer boom is real. But do not count on it to lift the global economy.” This great consumer rebalancing is even less likely to benefit “commodity-exporting countries whose fortunes have hinged on China.”
Tags: China, Commodities, Consumption, Growth, Industrial downturn, Investment, Rebalancing, Retail sales