Economic Activity Index - The China High-Frequency Economic Activity Index (YHEI) as of August 19, 2025, is 1.15, down 0.05 from August 12 [1][3] - The "import dry bulk freight index" fell by 0.10 to 1.02, contributing to the decline in YHEI [1][3] - The "30-city commodity housing sales index" increased by 0.03 to 0.44, fluctuating between 0.41 and 0.45 since early August [1][3] Consumption and Retail - In July, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 38,780.2 billion yuan, growing by 3.7% year-on-year, a decrease of 1.1 percentage points from the previous month [25] - Retail sales of goods grew by 4.0%, down 1.3 percentage points from last month, while catering revenue increased by 1.1%, up 0.2 percentage points [25] - Excluding automobiles, retail sales of consumer goods grew by 4.3%, down from 4.8% in the previous month [25] Automotive Sector - Automotive sales saw a year-on-year growth of 14.66%, up from 13.83% last month, indicating continuous improvement over four months [25] Foreign Trade - In July, the trade surplus was 98.245 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 14.93%, but the growth rate decreased by 0.78 percentage points from the previous month [25] - Import and export amounts grew by 4.1% and 7.2% year-on-year, respectively, both higher than last month [25] Industrial Production - In July, the industrial added value for large-scale industries grew by 5.7% year-on-year, a decrease of 1.1 percentage points [26] - High-tech industries saw a growth rate of 9.3%, down 0.4 percentage points [26] - The production index for the service industry grew by 5.8%, slowing down by 0.2 percentage points for two consecutive months [26] Monetary Policy - The central bank's net fund injection through open market operations was 684.2 billion yuan as of August 19 [6] - The 7-day reverse repurchase rate was 1.4% [6] Interest Rates - The overnight interbank rate rose by 21 basis points to 1.57% over the past week [11][12] - The 1-year and 5-year swap rates increased by 2 and 5 basis points to 1.54% and 1.63%, respectively [15][18] Real Estate Market - In the week ending August 19, new and second-hand housing transaction areas in first-tier cities increased by 6.71% and 7.06%, respectively [42][45] - In contrast, third-tier cities saw a decrease in transaction areas by 5.13% and 29.2% for new and second-hand homes [42][45] Shipping and Logistics - The China Coastal Bulk Freight Index (CCBFI) rose by 30.48 points to 1,090.99 points [38] - The Baltic Dry Index fell by 53 points to 1,964 points [38] Global Economic Indicators - The US dollar index increased by 0.21 points to 98.28, while the RMB/USD exchange rate rose by 91 basis points to 7.182 [53][54]