Core Viewpoint - The China Small and Medium Enterprises Development Index (SMEDI) for July remains stable at 89.0, unchanged from the previous month [1] Industry Summary - The index shows a positive trend in various sectors, with 6 industries experiencing growth and 2 industries seeing a decline [1] - Notable increases were observed in the construction, transportation, real estate, social services, information transmission software, and accommodation and catering industries, with respective increases of 0.6, 0.4, 0.3, 0.3, 0.3, and 0.3 points [1] - The industrial and wholesale retail sectors experienced slight declines of 0.2 and 0.1 points, respectively [1] - Overall, the operational status of the industries is improving [1]

Group 1 - The U.S. labor market showed unexpected weakness in July, with non-farm payrolls increasing by only 73,000 jobs, significantly below the market expectation of over 140,000 jobs [1] - The unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from the previous month [1] - The U.S. Labor Department revised down the employment figures for May and June, with a total downward revision of 258,000 jobs, indicating growing concerns about the slowdown in the U.S. economy [1] Group 2 - Job growth in July was primarily driven by the healthcare and social services sectors, which added 55,000 and 18,000 jobs respectively, while federal government employment continued to decline [1] - The average hourly wage for non-farm employees in July was $36.44, reflecting a month-over-month increase of 0.3% and a year-over-year increase of 3.9% [1] - The Federal Reserve officials expressed concerns about the labor market, noting that private sector job growth is nearly stagnant and that the labor market is showing signs of vulnerability [2]

Core Viewpoint - The China Small and Medium Enterprises Development Index (SMEDI) for Q2 2025 is reported at 89.1, a decrease of 0.4 points from the previous quarter, but higher than the levels in 2023 and 2024. Overall, costs for SMEs have slightly decreased [1]. Industry Summary - The wholesale and retail industry index remained stable at 89.0, while seven other industries, including construction, transportation, real estate, social services, information transmission, and accommodation and catering, saw declines in their indices [2][3]. - The overall index for Q2 2025 is 89.1, down from 89.5 in Q1 2025, with all sub-indices showing a decrease, including macroeconomic sentiment, comprehensive operation, market, cost, funding, labor, input, and efficiency indices [4][5]. Regional Summary - The indices for the eastern, central, and western regions are 90.1, 89.7, and 88.6 respectively, all showing declines from the previous quarter, while the northeastern region saw a slight increase of 0.1 points to 81.5 [4]. Key Characteristics of SMEs - Business confidence is low, with the macroeconomic sentiment index at 98.2, down 0.8 points from the previous quarter, reflecting a decline across all surveyed industries [5]. - Market demand is contracting, as indicated by a market index of 81.2, which is a decrease of 0.3 points from the previous quarter [5]. - Funding conditions are tightening, with the funding index at 100.6, down 0.2 points, and six out of eight industries reporting declines in their funding indices [5]. - Labor supply is increasing while demand is decreasing, with the labor index at 105.9, down 0.1 points, and seven industries reporting a drop in labor demand [5]. - Investment willingness among enterprises is declining, with the input index at 82.3, down 0.6 points, particularly in construction, social services, and accommodation and catering sectors [5]. - Costs for enterprises have slightly decreased, with the cost index at 111.8, down 0.2 points, although the wholesale and retail sector saw a slight increase in costs [5]. - Efficiency has also declined, with the efficiency index at 74.2, down 0.3 points, and six industries reporting a decrease in their efficiency indices [6].

Core Insights - The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Index (SMEDI) in China rose to 89.5 in May, an increase of 0.3 points from April, marking a significant recovery after two months of decline [1] - The improvement in the index is attributed to enhanced macroeconomic policies, better supply-demand relationships in certain industries, and a noticeable recovery in economic sentiment, which has positively influenced small and medium enterprises' performance and investment willingness [1] Economic Indicators - In May, various economic indices showed positive changes compared to April: - Macroeconomic sentiment index increased by 0.7 points - Comprehensive operation index rose by 0.6 points - Market index up by 0.2 points - Capital index increased by 0.3 points - Labor index grew by 0.2 points - Input index up by 0.4 points - Efficiency index increased by 0.4 points - The cost index remained stable compared to April, indicating a favorable trend in the operational environment for small and medium enterprises [1] Industry Performance - In May, several industries experienced growth compared to April: - Industrial sector increased by 0.6 points - Transportation sector rose by 0.6 points - Real estate sector up by 0.2 points - Wholesale and retail sector increased by 0.1 points - Information transmission and software sector grew by 0.4 points - Accommodation and catering sector also rose by 0.4 points - However, the construction and social services sectors saw declines of 0.2 points and 0.3 points, respectively, indicating a mixed performance across industries [1] Regional Analysis - The development indices for small and medium enterprises in May by region were as follows: - Eastern region: 90.5 - Central region: 90.3 - Western region: 88.7 - Northeastern region: 81.8 - The ongoing release of policy effects has led to a noticeable recovery in development expectations for small and medium enterprises, although challenges remain due to external uncertainties and the need for further domestic demand and consumption stimulation [2]