Consumption Trends - In April, the year-on-year growth of social retail sales was 5.1%, down 0.8 percentage points from the previous month, while retail sales of above-limit goods were 6.6%, down 2.0 percentage points[3] - Automobile consumption saw a significant decline, with a year-on-year growth rate dropping 4.8 percentage points to 0.7%, indicating instability in consumer confidence amid the ongoing real estate cycle[3] - Essential goods and services showed resilience, with food and oil prices rising 14.0% year-on-year, a slight increase of 0.2 percentage points from the previous month[3] Investment and Real Estate - Fixed asset investment growth fell to 3.5% year-on-year in April, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points from the previous month, with real estate development investment down 11.3%, deepening by 1.3 percentage points[4] - The residential sales area saw a year-on-year decline of 2.4%, worsening by 1.9 percentage points, while new construction area dropped 17.8% year-on-year[5] - The construction completion area experienced a significant decline of 25.8% year-on-year, marking the steepest drop since the beginning of the year[5] Industrial Production - Industrial value-added growth fell to 6.1% year-on-year in April, down 1.6 percentage points from the previous month, with mining industry value-added dropping 3.6 percentage points to 5.7%[6] - Manufacturing value-added decreased by 1.3 percentage points to 6.6% year-on-year, primarily affected by fluctuations in investment and consumer demand[6] - The second wave of export growth began, with electrical machinery and equipment, and computer communication equipment increasing by 13.4% and 10.8% year-on-year, respectively[6] Economic Outlook - The overall economic data for April indicates a simultaneous cooling in consumption and investment, primarily driven by the real estate cycle's downturn affecting domestic demand[6] - The central bank's recent actions, including a 50 basis point reserve requirement ratio cut and a 10 basis point interest rate reduction, aim to stabilize the real estate market and consumer confidence[6] - There is a possibility of further interest rate cuts in June to enhance support for the real estate market and consumer spending[6]