Group 1: Energy and Industrial Production - The cumulative power generation of coal-fired power plants increased by 3.1% year-on-year as of March 26, with a cumulative increase of 1.3% for the year[3] - The operating rate of national blast furnaces recorded 79.2%, with a year-on-year decrease of 1.8 percentage points[3] - The average daily crude steel production of key enterprises was 2.019 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 5.7%[5] Group 2: Construction and Infrastructure - The construction resumption rate of 10,692 sites nationwide was 62%, a month-on-month increase of 19.5 percentage points, but a year-on-year decrease of 2.62 percentage points[5] - The average cement dispatch rate was 24.4%, a month-on-month increase of 4.9 percentage points, but a year-on-year decrease of 11.8%[6] Group 3: Consumer Market Trends - The average daily transaction volume of commercial housing in 30 major cities decreased by 10.3% year-on-year, an improvement from a 28.0% decline in February[8] - Retail sales of passenger vehicles from March 1 to 22 decreased by 16.0% year-on-year, an improvement from a 25.4% decline in the previous month[10] Group 4: Renewable Energy and Economic Indicators - The photovoltaic manager index (SMI) recorded 137.9 points, a month-on-month increase of 7.1 percentage points[6] - The average daily number of domestic flights was 13,400, with a year-on-year increase of 8.7%[8]

Production Sector - The coke oven operating rate increased to 72.85%, up by 0.44% from the previous week[8] - The blast furnace operating rate rose to 79.8%, an increase of 1.44%[8] - The PTA operating rate improved to 79.9%, reflecting a 3.11% increase[8] Consumption Sector - Weekly box office revenue dropped significantly to ¥37,200,000, a decrease of ¥45,400,000 from the previous week[8] - Daily average retail sales of passenger cars fell to 73,734.15 units, down by 2,636.4 units[8] - Daily average wholesale sales of passenger cars decreased to 93,252.05 units, a decline of 3,741.45 units[8] Real Estate and Infrastructure - The transaction area of commercial housing in 30 major cities increased to 186.28 million square meters, up by 21.57%[8] - The transaction area of second-hand houses in major cities rose to 251,216.94 square meters, an increase of 30,447.24 square meters[8] - The land premium rate in 100 major cities dropped to 0.21%, down by 2.17%[8] Trade and Transportation - The Shanghai Export Container Freight Index (SCFI) decreased to 1,706.95, down by 3.40%[9] - The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) increased to 2,056.00, reflecting a rise of 28.00[9] - The average daily passenger volume for subways in major cities showed a decline, with Beijing down by 131.71 thousand passengers[9] Price Inflation - The wholesale price index for agricultural products fell to 121.97, a decrease of 0.93%[9] - The average wholesale price of pork decreased to ¥15.98 per kilogram, down by ¥0.19[9] - The average wholesale price of vegetables dropped to ¥4.86 per kilogram, a decline of ¥0.08[9]

Investment and Production Indicators - The overall performance of investment-related high-frequency data in the first week after the holiday was weaker than the same period last year, with only the full steel and semi-steel tire operating rates better than last year's levels[2] - The operating rate for asphalt sample enterprises was 21.4%, up 0.6 percentage points week-on-week, but down 24.9% year-on-year[9] - The national electric furnace operating rate was 26.28%, down 5.77 percentage points week-on-week, and down 53.4% year-on-year[11] - The capacity utilization rate for steel mills was 86.09%, down 0.24 percentage points week-on-week, and down 1.1% year-on-year[44] Production and Price Trends - The average daily crude steel production in mid-February was 2.029 million tons, an increase of 83,000 tons from early February, but down 5.7% year-on-year[72] - The price index for rebar fell by 0.3 yuan/ton to 3288.2 yuan/ton[116] - The average price of cement in East China remained stable at 412 yuan/ton, while the price in Southwest China dropped by 8 yuan/ton to 485 yuan/ton[107] - The average price of lithium carbonate rose to 167,000 yuan/ton, an increase of 27,000 yuan/ton year-on-year, reflecting a growth of 118.3%[142] Real Estate and Consumption Insights - The number of signed commercial housing contracts in 30 cities was still lower than the same period last year, despite a positive trend in second-hand housing listing prices starting from the second week of January[2] - Domestic and international flight numbers post-holiday were higher than last year, with domestic flights exceeding 100,000 for four consecutive weeks, indicating a recovery in travel demand[2] - Consumer demand for goods and services during the holiday period was better than last year, suggesting a significant increase in consumption growth for the first two months compared to the previous year[2]

Core Viewpoint - The Strategic Emerging Industries Purchasing Managers' Index (EPMI) for January 2026 increased by 0.9 points to 50.0, indicating stable mid-level economic conditions with three out of seven sub-industries in the expansion zone, consistent with seasonal trends observed in previous years [1][5][6]. Sub-item Summaries - **Production and Demand Indicators**: In January, production volume, product orders, and export orders increased by 1.6, 1.5, and 1.0 points respectively. The production-to-demand ratio has risen for three consecutive months, suggesting positive demand expectations among emerging enterprises [2][10]. - **Price Signals**: Purchase prices and sales prices increased by 0.4 and 0.3 points respectively. The sales price index has been on an upward trend since July 2025, with only a brief decline in November 2025 [2][11]. - **Loan Difficulty Indicator**: The loan difficulty index rose by 0.4 points, marking a two-month recovery, potentially linked to liquidity conditions in early January [2][11]. Industry Analysis - **Leading Industries**: The biotechnology, new energy vehicles, and next-generation information technology sectors have maintained high levels of prosperity since October 2025. The biotechnology sector is driven by a surge in patent applications, while the new energy vehicle sector benefits from both domestic and export growth [3][13]. - **Weak Industries**: High-end equipment manufacturing, new materials, and energy conservation sectors have shown weaker performance, remaining in the contraction zone for three consecutive months [3][13]. Manufacturing PMI Expectations - Historical data suggests that the manufacturing PMI typically experiences slight declines in January during years with late Spring Festival dates. The impact of strong exports and concentrated fiscal policies in the previous quarter on January's production preparations remains to be observed [4][17]. Economic Data Overview - The high-frequency data for January appears stable, with strong port data and weak construction and real estate data. Hard data is expected to show decent year-on-year performance due to the timing of the Spring Festival, with results to be published in March [4][21].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the current state of various industries in China, highlighting the impact of the Lunar New Year timing on production and sales, as well as the mixed performance across different sectors. Group 1: Power Generation and Industrial Activity - As of January 8, the cumulative power generation from coal-fired power plants increased by 2.6% year-on-year, contrasting with a decline of 8.5% in December [1][6] - The industrial operating rates show mixed trends, with steel production rates improving while chemical production rates decline. The average operating rate of 247 blast furnaces rose by 1.4 percentage points year-on-year [7][8] - The average daily crude steel production from key enterprises increased by 11.8% month-on-month but decreased by 4.1% year-on-year as of January 10 [2][9] Group 2: Construction and Funding - The funding availability rate for construction sites decreased by 0.3 percentage points, indicating a lack of momentum in physical work [11] - The asphalt operating rate fell to 26.3%, down 2.1 percentage points month-on-month, reflecting a decline in construction activity [11][12] Group 3: Consumer Behavior and Sales - The average daily subway ridership in major cities increased by 15.8% year-on-year due to the Lunar New Year timing, indicating a slight recovery in consumer mobility [3][12] - Real estate sales showed a significant decline, with a 38.6% drop in daily average transactions in major cities compared to the same period last year [15] - Retail sales of passenger vehicles fell by 32% year-on-year, with wholesale volumes down by 40% [16] Group 4: Industry-Specific Insights - The photovoltaic industry manager index decreased to 133.0 points, reflecting a slight decline in industry sentiment [13] - The BPI index for industrial products reached a near one-year high, with significant price increases in coal and chemical products [22][23] - Port container throughput increased by 6.3% year-on-year, indicating resilience in logistics despite fluctuations in shipping volumes to the U.S. [18][20]

Economic Overview - The economy is showing moderate recovery at the beginning of the year, supported by resilient domestic demand and improvements in external demand and production[1] - High-frequency data indicates that automotive consumption is boosted by trade-in subsidies, while service consumption has weakened marginally post-New Year[3] Investment Insights - Special bond issuance has been advanced, potentially stabilizing infrastructure investment in Q1, although the real estate sector remains weak[3] - In the first two weeks of January, special bonds worth CNY 110.2 billion were issued, compared to zero in the same period last year, indicating a shift in issuance pace[7] Trade and Production - External trade conditions are improving, with both export volume and price rising; port operation data shows a year-on-year increase in most metrics[7] - Production is generally recovering, with operating rates in the steel, petrochemical, and chlor-alkali sectors rising[7] Pricing Trends - Consumer prices are weak, with the iCPI index decreasing by 0.53% month-on-month; however, industrial prices are mostly rising, particularly in the non-ferrous metals and lithium carbonate sectors[7] - The price of lithium carbonate has surged by 74.5% year-on-year due to tight supply and demand from emerging industries[10] Liquidity and Interest Rates - Funding rates have slightly increased, with R007 rising by 6.3 basis points and DR007 by 4.4 basis points compared to the previous week[8] - The 10-year government bond yield increased by 3.1 basis points to 1.88%, while the one-year yield decreased by 4.9 basis points to 1.28%[8] Risks - There are uncertainties regarding trade conditions and the potential for domestic demand recovery to fall short of expectations[12]

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights a general decline in various industrial sectors, including power generation, steel production, real estate sales, and consumer goods, indicating a weakening economic environment as of December 2023. Group 1: Power Generation and Industrial Activity - Power generation from coal-fired plants has decreased by 8.5% year-on-year as of December 25, compared to a decline of 7.2% in November, reflecting weak demand during the off-peak season and the impact of a warm winter [1][7] - Industrial operating rates are also showing seasonal weakness, with most sectors, except for downstream automotive tire production, reporting lower year-on-year operating rates [1][7] Group 2: Steel Production - Key steel mills reported a daily average crude steel output decrease of 2.0% month-on-month and 5.1% year-on-year as of the third week of December [9] - By the fourth week of December, rebar production fell by 10.7% month-on-month and 16.4% year-on-year, while hot-rolled coil production decreased by 4.6% month-on-month and 3.9% year-on-year [9] Group 3: Construction and Infrastructure - There has been a marginal improvement in the funding availability rate for construction sites, with a 0.15 percentage point increase as of December 23 [11] - The operating rate for petroleum asphalt has turned positive month-on-month, increasing by 0.83 percentage points, indicating a potential recovery in the construction sector [11] Group 4: Consumer Behavior and Retail Sales - Real estate sales continue to show weakness, with a year-on-year decline of 31.3% in average daily transaction area for commercial housing in 30 major cities from December 1 to 30 [15] - Retail sales of passenger cars have also decreased significantly, with a year-on-year drop of 17% from December 1 to 28, while wholesale sales fell by 19% [16] Group 5: Home Appliances and Consumer Goods - Sales of home appliances remain in negative growth territory, with online sales of air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines declining by 48% to 29% year-on-year [17][18] - The production of home appliances is expected to turn positive in January 2024, although there may be disruptions due to the Spring Festival [17][20] Group 6: Port Activity and Trade - Port container throughput remains resilient, with a year-on-year increase of 7.2% from December 1 to 28, although the growth rate has slowed compared to November [20] - The number of container ships sent to the U.S. has seen a reduced year-on-year decline, indicating some stabilization in trade activities [20]

Production Side - In December, the operating rates for blast furnaces and electric furnaces were 78.88% and 60.10%, respectively, both lower than the previous month[3] - The rebar operating rate was 38.03%, and the grinding machine operating rate was 31.72%, both showing a decline from last month[3] - The average operating rates for PVC and PTA were 78.73% and 73.75%, respectively, indicating a general decrease in chemical product operating rates[3] - The inventory levels for asphalt, rebar, cold-rolled, hot-rolled, and float glass showed a decrease, with respective month-on-month growth rates of -3.77%, -10.26%, -4.73%, -6.82%[3] Demand Side - The average transaction area for commercial housing in 30 cities increased by 22.48% month-on-month but decreased by 31.93% year-on-year[4] - The average transaction area for land in 100 cities increased by 93.96% month-on-month, with a year-on-year decrease of 4.50%[4] - The average daily sales of passenger cars were 61,883 units, reflecting a month-on-month decline of 20.18% and a year-on-year decline of 26.34%[4] - The average box office revenue for movies was 675 million yuan, down 7.67% month-on-month but up 45.47% year-on-year[4] Price Side - The wholesale price index for agricultural products increased by 3.32% month-on-month and 6.94% year-on-year, with notable increases in vegetable and fruit prices[5] - The price of gasoline and diesel saw year-on-year declines of 6.82% and 5.20%, respectively[6] - The price of copper and aluminum increased by 5.28% and 1.26% month-on-month, with year-on-year increases of 21.31% and 7.28%[6]

Industrial Sector - Steel and building materials production has rebounded, while the operating rate of float glass has decreased[2] - The apparent demand for steel building materials has increased, while the operating rate for the textile polyester sector has shown seasonal weakness[2] - The operating rates for automotive tires have slightly declined this week[2] Real Estate - New home sales in 30 major cities decreased by 20.8% year-on-year, but the growth rate improved by 8.7 percentage points compared to last week[2] - The second-hand housing listing price index fell by 0.98% week-on-week, indicating a slight narrowing of the decline[2] Domestic Demand - Movie box office revenue increased by 74.7% year-on-year, with a daily average of 83.89 million yuan[2] - The volume of postal express deliveries has grown by 8.3% year-on-year, showing recovery in logistics[2] - Retail sales of major home appliances decreased by 34.6% year-on-year, a decline of 7.2 percentage points compared to the previous value[2] External Demand - Port cargo throughput increased by 3.4% year-on-year, while container throughput rose by 7.4%[2] - The export container freight index rose by 2.6% week-on-week, indicating a slight increase in shipping costs[2] Prices - The agricultural product wholesale price index fell by 0.1% week-on-week, reflecting seasonal trends[2] - The industrial product prices weakened, with the South China industrial product index dropping by 1.9%[2]

Core Viewpoint - This week, the Nanhua Agricultural Products Index experienced fluctuations downward, while international crude oil prices declined; industrial-related data showed mixed trends in prices and supply [3] Agricultural Products - The Nanhua Agricultural Products Index fluctuated upward, with international crude oil prices declining; agricultural product prices generally increased [4] - Specifically, Brent crude oil decreased by $1.62 per barrel, and WTI crude oil fell by $1.14 per barrel; average wholesale prices for vegetables rose by 0.09 yuan per kilogram, while pork and beef prices increased by 0.43 yuan and 0.56 yuan per kilogram, respectively, but lamb prices dropped by 0.19 yuan per kilogram [5] Industrial Data - Industrial-related data showed mixed trends: the Nanhua Industrial Products Index fluctuated downward, with glass prices slightly rising and coking coal prices declining [15] - Glass futures closed up by 8 yuan per ton, while coking coal futures fell by 16 yuan per ton; the blast furnace operating rate was recorded at 83.15%, slightly up from last week and higher than the historical average [15] Real Estate Investment - Investment-related data in real estate remained weak; land transaction area in 100 major cities increased to approximately 24.89 million square meters, while commodity housing transaction area in 30 major cities rose to about 2.02 million square meters, still significantly below the historical average [24] - The index for second-hand housing listing prices declined, with the decrease rate increasing compared to the previous week; the cumulative value of completed housing area increased but remained below historical levels [24] Travel Consumption - Travel consumption data mostly increased, aligning with seasonal trends; subway passenger volumes in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen rose, with growth rates of 0.52%, 0.11%, 1.62%, and 1.22%, respectively [34] - Movie box office revenue slightly decreased, falling below the same period in 2024, 2023, and 2021; retail sales of passenger cars surged, exceeding historical levels, while the number of domestic flights executed slightly declined but remained above historical averages [34]