News & Insights

China Ailing, U.S. Consumer Still Spending and Fuel Inventories Tight

Chinese Economy Gone Awry

The world’s second-largest economy is getting new attention in Western markets as China faces a host of challenges. With interest rates rising in most large Western economies, China just eased its one-year lending facility from 2.65% to 2.5%. China’s consumer price and producer price indexes are signaling outright deflation, while its 10-year sovereign bond fell to a rate of 2.59%, its lowest level in over three years. Domestic credit demand is faltering – loan issuance is at a 14-year low – and imports, exports and manufacturing activity are all declining. Industrial production and retail sales for the month of July also missed estimates. A shocking urban youth unemployment rate of 21.3% has prompted Chinese authorities to announce that they would stop reporting this data.