Overview - China's economy showed resilience in Q3, with actual GDP growing by 4.8% year-on-year, a slight decline of 0.4 percentage points from Q2. Cumulatively, GDP growth for the first three quarters reached 5.2%, indicating that the annual growth target is achievable [1]. Economic Structure - The supply-demand structure continues to deepen, with external demand showing unexpected resilience while internal demand is slowing down. In Q3, external demand growth outpaced production and internal demand, with non-US exports supporting external demand [3][6]. - Price governance has made initial progress, with the gap between nominal and actual GDP growth narrowing slightly. Actual GDP growth exceeded nominal growth by 1.1 percentage points, while nominal GDP growth fell to its lowest level in 2023 at 3.7% [6]. - Economic data for September showed a continuous slowdown in growth rates for four months, with production accelerating but investment and consumption declining more significantly [9]. Consumption - Retail sales growth in September was 3%, slightly below market expectations, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline. Restaurant consumption saw a more significant drop than goods consumption, with restaurant service growth falling to 0.9% [12]. - Goods consumption growth decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 3.3%, with subsidized categories experiencing a more substantial decline than non-subsidized ones. The contribution of final consumption expenditure to GDP growth in Q3 was 56.6%, driving GDP growth by 2.7 percentage points [12]. Fixed Asset Investment - Fixed asset investment fell by 0.5% in September, with infrastructure investment down by 2.1 percentage points, manufacturing investment down by 0.9 percentage points, and real estate investment down by 13.9% [17]. - Real estate sales growth was affected by base disturbances, with both sales area and amount declining by 10.5% and 11.8%, respectively. Real estate investment growth hit a record low of -21.3% in September [17][19]. Trade - September saw a significant increase in import and export growth, with exports growing by 8.3% year-on-year in USD terms, supported by low base effects and recovery in global economic conditions. Trade surplus continued to expand [25]. - Imports also saw a notable increase, driven by demand recovery from major projects, although sustainability remains uncertain [25]. Supply - Industrial production growth accelerated in September, with the industrial added value growing by 6.5%, significantly exceeding market expectations. The production and sales rate improved slightly to 96.7% [27][28]. - The manufacturing sector is experiencing a mixed impact from "anti-involution" policies, with some industries facing production slowdowns [28]. Inflation - CPI inflation showed signs of improvement, with the decline narrowing to -0.3%. Core CPI inflation rose to 1.0%, the highest in 19 months, supported by rising gold prices and improvements in some durable goods prices [29]. Outlook - The economic outlook for Q4 remains challenging, with pressures from insufficient effective demand and low price levels. The upcoming policies from the recent party meeting may provide additional support [31].

Consumption Data - In July, the total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 3.7% year-on-year, marking a decline of 1.1 percentage points from the previous month and the lowest monthly growth rate this year[3] - Retail sales of automobiles fell by 1.5% year-on-year, a significant drop of 6.1 percentage points compared to June, closely linked to the recent downturn in the real estate market[3] - Retail sales of communication equipment rose by 14.9%, while home appliances and furniture grew by 28.7% and 20.6%, respectively, despite declines from June[3] Investment and Real Estate - Fixed asset investment saw a sharp decline of 5.3% year-on-year in July, the largest drop since April 2020[4] - Real estate development investment fell by 17.0% year-on-year, the lowest since December 2022, indicating a renewed acceleration in market adjustments[4] - The area of residential sales decreased by 7.1% year-on-year, remaining at a low level despite a slight improvement[5] Industrial Production - The industrial added value growth rate fell to 5.7% year-on-year, down 1.1 percentage points, with the mining and manufacturing sectors also experiencing declines[6] - The automotive manufacturing sector saw a significant drop of 2.9 percentage points to 8.5%, the lowest since November 2024, reflecting the combined effects of supply-side policies and demand cooling[6] Policy Implications - The simultaneous cooling of retail, investment, and real estate markets in July may signal the need for policy measures in the second half of the year[6] - The central government may need to implement larger subsidies for durable goods consumption and consider a small interest rate cut of 10 basis points to stabilize the real estate market[6]

Export Performance - In July, China's exports increased by 7.2% year-on-year, up 1.4 percentage points from June, continuing the improvement trend since May[1] - Exports to ASEAN rose by 16.6% year-on-year, while exports to South Korea increased by 4.6%, marking a significant recovery[2] - Exports to the US saw a decline of 21.7%, deepening by 5.5 percentage points compared to the previous month, indicating a stronger impact from tariffs[2] Import Trends - Imports in July rose by 4.1% year-on-year, a significant improvement of 3.0 percentage points, driven primarily by recovering crude oil prices[1] - The trade surplus narrowed slightly to $98.24 billion in July, reflecting the dynamics of both exports and imports[1] - The contribution of processing trade intermediate goods and capital goods imports fell by 0.6 percentage points, indicating a cooling in these sectors[5] Market Outlook - The extension of the tariff relief period by the US is expected to marginally boost exports of electromechanical products and mid-range consumer goods[6] - The imposition of 15% tariffs on other major trading partners may enhance China's export price competitiveness but could also weaken demand from these economies[6] - The semiconductor and machinery sectors may face challenges due to increased tariffs on key supply chain partners like Mexico and Vietnam[6]

Group 1: PMI Trends - In July, the manufacturing PMI index fell by 0.4 percentage points to 49.3%, marking the fourth consecutive month below the threshold and the lowest in nearly six months[1] - The new orders index dropped significantly by 0.8 percentage points to 49.4%, with the consumer goods sector declining by 0.9 percentage points to 49.5% due to ongoing downturns in the real estate market[1] - The production index also decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 50.5%, influenced by extreme weather and weakened internal and external demand[1] Group 2: Export and Inventory Insights - The new export orders index fell by 0.6 percentage points to 47.1%, with high-tech and equipment manufacturing sectors declining by 0.3 and 1.1 percentage points respectively, reflecting short-term impacts from delayed tariff negotiations[1] - The finished goods inventory index dropped by 0.7 percentage points to 47.4%, indicating a cautious outlook among enterprises amid weak demand[2] - Industrial enterprises are expected to maintain a moderate pace of inventory replenishment due to ongoing challenges in the real estate market and limited traditional infrastructure investment[2] Group 3: Service and Construction Sector Performance - The service sector PMI slightly decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 50.0%, remaining near the threshold, indicating stable growth in service consumption[2] - The construction sector PMI fell significantly by 2.2 percentage points to 50.6%, impacted by extreme weather conditions and limited traditional infrastructure investment due to debt concerns[2] - The political bureau meeting emphasized the importance of expanding consumer goods consumption, but did not extend the previous policies aimed at enhancing durable goods subsidies, suggesting a need for ongoing observation[3]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article highlights a period of tariff easing, leading to a rebound in exports while domestic demand shows increasing divergence [1] Group 2 - High-frequency data indicates a mixed performance in consumption, with strong automobile sales [1] - Investment in infrastructure is accelerating, while real estate sales show marginal improvement amidst a sluggish land market [1] - Exports are rebounding rapidly, supported by resilient overseas demand, with port data and export freight rates rising quickly due to concentrated shipments from previously accumulated inventories [1] Group 3 - Production is exhibiting a trend of industry divergence, with a rebound in the photovoltaic production index, while the operating rates in sectors like steel and petrochemicals are declining [1] - Coal inventories are decreasing from high levels, and there is an accelerated reduction in steel inventories [1] Group 4 - Price performance is generally subdued, with most high-frequency indicators related to CPI and PPI showing a downward trend [1] - In terms of liquidity, the US dollar index has significantly declined, while the Chinese yuan continues to appreciate [1]