China’s inflation data show economy in doldrums

Hong Kong: China’s economy remains in the doldrums, data released Friday showed, with prices due to slack demand from consumers and businesses. Consumer prices remained flat in September compared with a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said, while wholesale prices fell 2.5 per cent. Exports and imports also fell last month as demand fell in overseas markets. The faltering recovery of the world’s second largest economy from the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic is dragging on regional and global growth, though economists have said the worst might have passed. Trade ticked up slightly from the month before and manufacturing is showing signs of improvement. Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund cut growth forecasts for China, predicting economic growth of 5 per cent this year and 4.2 per cent in 2024, down slightly from its forecasts in July.

The IMF attributed its downward revision to weaker consumer confidence, subdued global demand and a crisis in the property sector that has made a big dent in business activity.