China’s industrial production surprised on Saturday with its best showing since June, the latest indication that government stimulus measures may be driving a mild recovery in the world’s second largest economy.
Output at factories, workshops and mines increased 6.2 percent last month from a year ago, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said, the first increase since August and a significant jump from October’s figure of 5.6 per cent.
The figures, which came on robust production of automobiles, synthetic fibres and non-ferrous metals, were higher than the 5.7 per cent increase forecasted by economists in a survey by Bloomberg News.
Accompanied by higher than expected numbers for retail sales, the figures cap off a good week for economic data from China, a leading engine of global expansion whose slowing growth has raised concerns in world markets.
Authorities are trying to transform the country’s growth model to a slower but more sustainable one driven by consumption rather than infrastructure investment, but the transition to the “new normal” is proving bumpy.
Overcapacity in manufacturing, a slowdown in the country’s property market and mounting local government debt are among the factors that have weighed on growth.
But the country is working towards “a phasing out of the old economy and a phasing in of the new economy,” Larry Hu, head of China economics at Macquarie Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg News ahead of the announcement.
Today’s data was suggestive of what such a transition might look like.
Retail sales rose 11.2 per cent in November to their highest level this year, the data showed, after last month’s “Single’s Day” generated more than $ 14 billion in sales.
The November 11 national online shopping festival has evolved into the globe’s biggest since e—commerce giant Alibaba began using the date in 2009 to promote sales through its platforms.
The more than $ 14 billion worth of merchandise volume this year smashed through last year’s tally of $ 9.3 billion, according to figures provided by the company.
Online sales increased by 34.5 per cent during the period from January to November, the data from the NBS showed.
While consumer sales figures grew, fixed asset investment remained moribund, increasing 10.2 per cent in the period from January to November, the same pace as was reported in October, according to the statistics.