毕马威：2025年第四季度中国经济观察报告

Core Economic Performance - In the first three quarters of 2025, China's GDP grew by 5.2% year-on-year, exceeding the previous year's growth by 0.4 percentage points, indicating good progress towards the annual target of around 5% [12][24] - However, the growth rate showed a "front-high and back-low" trend, with the third quarter's growth slowing to 4.8% due to the impact of "anti-involution" policies [12][24] Consumption - Retail sales of consumer goods increased by 4.5% year-on-year in the first three quarters, but the growth rate slowed to 3.5% in the third quarter, primarily due to the diminishing effect of the old-for-new policy and a continuous slowdown in residents' income growth [15][24] - Service consumption remained resilient, with a 5.2% year-on-year increase in the first three quarters, outperforming goods retail growth of 4.6% [15][24] Investment - Fixed asset investment decreased by 0.5% year-on-year in the first three quarters, with a significant drop to -6.2% in the third quarter, driven by weak performance in real estate, infrastructure, and manufacturing investments [16][24] - Real estate investment saw a decline from -12.1% in the second quarter to -19.2% in the third quarter, remaining the largest drag on fixed asset investment growth [16][24] Export - Exports grew by 6.1% year-on-year in the first three quarters, with a slight increase to 6.5% in the third quarter, supported by non-US markets and key products like integrated circuits, electric vehicles, and lithium batteries [17][24] - The easing of US-China trade tensions, including a 10% reduction in average tariffs on Chinese goods, is expected to positively impact foreign trade performance and business expectations in the fourth quarter [25][24] Policy and External Environment - Domestic policies are focused on stabilizing demand, with fiscal measures including the issuance of 500 billion yuan in policy financial tools and an additional 500 billion yuan in local government debt quotas to support project construction and debt repayment [12][24] - Monetary policy has resumed bond purchase operations, emphasizing the use of structural tools to support the economy [20][24] Outlook for Q4 - Economic recovery is anticipated in the fourth quarter, supported by coordinated policy efforts and resilient export performance, making it likely to achieve the annual growth target of around 5% [4][25] - However, potential pressures from high base effects, insufficient internal consumption momentum, and high real estate inventory levels should be monitored [5][24]