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Free AccessREPEAT:China July CPI, PPI Show Stable Gains; End M/M Declines
Repeats Story Initially Transmitted at 05:23 GMT Aug 9/01:23 EST Aug 9
BEIJING (MNI) - Consumer prices and factory inflation in China showed
stable growth in July despite falling below expectations, with month-on-month
gains for both putting an end to consecutive m/m declines, data released by the
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday show.
Consumer Price Index
The consumer price index (CPI), which gauges consumer price inflation,
gained 1.4% y/y in July, lower than the 1.5% growth in both May and June but
below the 1.6% median projection by analysts in an MNI survey. July growth was
still at a relatively low point compared with the y/y inflation rates of 1.9% to
2.5% that occurred from September to January, before a significant decline to
0.8% growth in February.
In the January-July period, the CPI rose 1.4% y/y on average, according to
the NBS.
On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.1%, reversing the m/m drops of 0.2% in
June and 0.1% in May, and flat with April's 0.1% growth -- which was the highest
m/m growth level since the 1.0% rise in January.
The CPI y/y growth was boosted by a 2.0% hike in non-food prices, while
food prices declined 1.1%, according to the NBS data. Among non-food categories,
healthcare reported the highest gain at 5.5% y/y, followed by 2.5% hikes in the
prices of housing as well as education/entertainment. Costs of garments; other
goods and services; and necessities and services rose 1.4%, 1.3% and 1.1% y/y,
respectively. The y/y drop in food prices was the sixth consecutive decline.
On a m/m basis, non-food prices rose 0.2%. Costs of education and
entertainment; healthcare; housing; and necessities and services climbed 1.0%,
0.5%, 0.1% and 0.1%, respectively.
As the number of Chinese travelers surge during the summer holidays when
students are on school break, prices of flight tickets and travel agency fees
continued to climb, by 10.5% and 6.1%, respectively, Sheng Guoqing, senior
statistician at the NBS, said in a separate statement.
Food prices dipped 0.1% m/m, compared with the 1.0% drop in June. Vegetable
prices increased 7.0% after a five-month drop due to hot weather and heavy
rainfall in some regions, while egg prices increased due to a lower laying rate
and higher storage and transportation costs, Sheng said.
China Industrial Bank Research said in a note Wednesday that the "weak" y/y
growth of CPI show that China's domestic demand is not strong enough, and that
the so-called "new cycle of China's economic growth" has not arrived yet.
Deng Haiqing, chief economist at JZ Securities, said in a note that
inflation remained at a relatively mild level, where he said it would likely
stay the rest of the year.
Producer Price Index
The PPI in July accelerated 5.5% y/y, matching the levels of the previous
two months but lower than the 5.6% median expectation in an MNI survey of
financial institutions and economists.
The index rose 0.2% m/m in July, reversing declines in the previous three
months.
The PPI y/y growth was due to price increases in six industries, which
accounted for 80% of the total growth. Prices in coal mining and washing rose
fastest at 32.3%; prices of ferrous metal smelting and flattening were up 27.5%;
prices of non-ferrous smelting and flattening grew 12.7%; and petroleum
processing prices rose 10.9%.
On a monthly basis, the PPI hike was boosted by surging prices of steel and
non-ferrous metal products, Sheng of the NBS said. Prices of ferrous metal
smelting and flattening rose 2.7%, non-ferrous metal smelting and flattening
rose 1.5% and chemical fiber manufacturing climbed 1.4%.
Deng of JZ Securities pointed out that the flat growth of the PPI was only
a "halftime break," owing to a lower base last July. He said PPI rates would
decelerate after September because of higher bases in the same periods last
year. PPI growth at the end of the year could be as low as 2%, he said.
China Industrial Bank Research said the lower-than-expected PPI was due to
friction between the supply side, which has been dampened, and the demand side,
which remains strong. Investment in the property sector also remains strong, the
research team said, but steel producers have not reported obvious growth,
leading to price increases of steel.
It also noted that it expected the PPI to be lower in the second half of
the year.
--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: iris.ouyang@marketnews.com
--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: vince.morkri@marketnews.com
To read the full story
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Why MNI
MNI is the leading provider
of intelligence and analysis on the Global Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange and Energy markets. We use an innovative combination of real-time analysis, deep fundamental research and journalism to provide unique and actionable insights for traders and investors. Our "All signal, no noise" approach drives an intelligence service that is succinct and timely, which is highly regarded by our time constrained client base.Our Head Office is in London with offices in Chicago, Washington and Beijing, as well as an on the ground presence in other major financial centres across the world.