Group 1: Economic Overview - China's retail sales of consumer goods in the first half of 2025 showed a cumulative year-on-year growth rate of 5.0%, consistent with the growth rate from January to May[18] - The average year-on-year growth rate of retail sales from June 2024 to June 2025 was 4.1%, indicating an overall upward trend[18] - The Consumer Price Index (CPI) year-on-year growth rate during the same period was only 0.1%, highlighting a divergence between the volume and price of consumer spending[18] Group 2: Low Inflation Factors - Low inflation is primarily influenced by weak domestic demand, external input factors, and "involutionary competition" in the market[1] - The correlation coefficient between the year-on-year growth rates of production materials and living materials, after shifting the production materials curve back by 10 months, is 0.7, indicating a strong relationship[22] - The year-on-year decline in profits for coal mining, oil and gas extraction, and black metal mining industries was 53.0%, 11.5%, and 36.2% respectively, contributing to a 5.5 percentage point drag on industrial profits in the first half of 2025[3] Group 3: Impact of Low Inflation - As of June 2025, the average yield on ten-year government bonds was 1.66%, down 44 basis points from September 2024, while the actual interest rate rose slightly to 2.84%, up 12 basis points[3] - The weak inflation level has interfered with the downward path of actual interest rates, limiting the reduction in financing costs for the real economy[46] - The correlation coefficient between urban residents' future income confidence index and the year-on-year growth rate of industrial profits from 2020 to 2024 is 0.5, indicating a positive correlation[3] Group 4: Risks and Challenges - Risks include persistent inflation in developed economies, complex geopolitical situations, and slow recovery of expectations in the real estate sector[4] - The significant decline in real estate investment has negatively impacted construction industry investment growth, further affecting demand in the building materials sector[37]

Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the resilience of the economy driven by policy support and export growth, while also highlighting the weakening trends in real estate and manufacturing sectors [2][3]. Group 1: Economic Stability - The investment sector shows strong performance, with equipment purchases contributing 64.5% to overall investment growth from January to April, with a year-on-year increase of 18.2% [5][11]. - Consumer demand for durable goods remains robust, with retail sales of home appliances and related categories contributing 27.4% to total retail sales in April, reflecting a growth rate of 10.6% for durable goods [5][11]. - The trade sector continues to perform well, with a trade surplus growth rate of 33.6% in April, supported by an 8.1% year-on-year increase in exports [5][11]. Group 2: Economic Changes - The real estate market shows signs of weakening, particularly in the "strong five cities" (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu), where the average price of second-hand homes fell by 0.2% in April, compared to a 0.46% increase in March [6][13]. - Manufacturing investment growth is slowing, particularly in the raw materials sector, which saw a significant decline in investment growth to 2.7% from January to April, down from previous levels [7][17]. Group 3: April Economic Data Overview - In April, industrial production growth was recorded at 6.1%, while service sector production index grew by 6.0%. Retail sales growth was 5.1%, down from 5.9% in March [21][22]. - The real estate sector experienced a decline in sales area by 2.1% year-on-year in April, with fixed asset investment growth slowing to 3.5% [21][30]. - The consumer price index (CPI) showed a slight deflation at -0.1%, while the producer price index (PPI) decreased by 2.7% [21][22]. Group 4: Employment and Investment Trends - The urban unemployment rate decreased to 5.1% in April, indicating a slight improvement in the job market [23]. - Fixed asset investment growth was recorded at 3.6% in April, with manufacturing investment showing a cumulative growth of 8.8% from January to April [37].

Manufacturing Sector Insights - In April 2025, the Manufacturing PMI index dropped to 49.0%, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from March, indicating a contraction in manufacturing activity[2] - The new orders index fell to 49.2%, down 2.6 percentage points, while the new export orders index significantly declined by 4.3 percentage points to 44.7%, the lowest level since January 2023[2][6] - The production index decreased to 49.8%, down 2.8 percentage points, and the purchasing index fell to 46.3%, a drop of 5.5 percentage points, marking the lowest level since January 2023[2][7] Price and Demand Trends - The manufacturing price index continued to decline, with major raw material purchase prices and factory prices dropping by 2.8 and 3.1 percentage points, respectively[3][10] - The decline in factory prices was more pronounced than that of raw material purchase prices, suggesting a stronger impact of demand on manufacturing market prices[3][10] - In specific sectors, the export orders index for electrical machinery, general equipment, and specialized equipment saw declines exceeding 10%[3][10] Economic Policy and Future Outlook - The Politburo meeting on April 25 emphasized increasing investment to stimulate domestic demand, with a focus on major strategic projects expected to receive enhanced funding support[4][11] - The real estate investment sector is anticipated to stabilize gradually, supported by increased supply of high-quality housing[4][11] - The non-manufacturing PMI index fell to 50.4%, down 0.4 percentage points, but remained in the expansion zone, with new orders index at 44.9%, down 1.7 percentage points[5][13]