China manufacturing activity worsens

HSBC manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index dropped to 48.7 in May on a 100-point scale, from a final reading of 49.3 for April. A reading below 50 indicates contraction from the previous month.

China growth slowest since global crisis

China’s first-quarter economic growth cooled to its slowest pace in 11 quarters due to weak export growth and sluggish construction. Gross domestic product grew 8.1% in the January to March period, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, missing analysts’ expectations of an 8.3% expansion.

World Bank cuts China 2012 growth forecast to 8.2%

The World Bank has lowered its forecast for China's 2012 economic growth to 8.2% from 8.4%.

Shanghai index ends lower

Property stocks were dragged lower after Premier Wen Jiabao said there wouldn't be any rollback of measures targeted at cooling the housing sector, warning of damage to the economy if a bubble were allowed to develop. The Shanghai Composite Index ended at 2,391.2, down 2.6%, or 64.56 points, from its close in the previous session.

China 2012 GDP target at 7.5%

China has set its economic growth target at 7.5% for this year, down from the largely symbolic 8% rate it has kept for the past eight years. A lower growth target would indicate that Beijing hopes to steer officials at all levels of government to focus on economic restructuring and quality-of-life issues, like the environment and income inequality, rather than singularly focusing on growth.

Chinese trade surplus grows

China’s trade surplus widened more than expected in January amid a sharp drop in imports. The data may reflect holiday-related distortions rather than deterioration in underlying economic trends.

Chinese inflation jumps to 4.5%

China’s consumer prices rose at a faster-than-expected rate of 4.5% in January from the year-ago period as spending jumped during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday season, breaking a five-month softening trend and forcing a market rethink of policy easing expectations.

Provided January's jump higher does not turn into a trend, many economists expect inflation in February to soften and continue the pattern through 2012 to come in below 4 percent for the year as a whole, allowing Beijing to maintain a gradual, targeted easing of monetary and fiscal policy.

IMF cuts China 2012 growth forecast to 8.25%

IMF cut its forecast for China's economic growth this year to 8.25% from 9.0% projected in September, citing the threat of weakening exports amid an uncertain global environment. IMF said China's growth rate, which stood at 9.2% last year, would drop abruptly if the euro zone experienced a sharp recession.

China warns foreign trade outlook ‘quite grim’

China’s Commerce Ministry warned Wednesday about the nation’s trade outlook, saying conditions for the remainder of the year and into the first quarter of 2012 look tough. China’s trade surplus fell in September for the second straight month. China attracted $9.05 billion in foreign direct investment in September, up 7.9% from a year earlier, but this rate of growth came in weaker than August’s 11% year-on-year increase.

China’s growth cools

Third-quarter gross domestic product rose 9.1% from a year earlier, easing from the second quarter’s 9.5% gain, the National Bureau of Statistics reported.

China stocks rise as policy fears ease

Mainland Chinese shares have outperformed of late, as the fears about global growth and sovereign debt that have hammered other Asian equity markets have only served to heighten expectations that Chinese monetary policy won’t be further tightened any time soon.

With signs that the Chinese economy is already slowing, some strategists believe that the People’s Bank of China won’t significantly tighten policy in the near future, much to the relief of domestic investors

China manufacturing survey points to contraction

HSBC’s China “flash” manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to a 28-month low in July, indicating activity is now beginning to contract in an economy that’s seen as a barometer of global growth and a price-setter for many commodities.

The survey’s headline reading fell to 48.9, down from 50.1 in June, marking the first time the gauge has indicated a contraction since July 2010.

China data show almost flat growth

China’s manufacturing activity eased in June to its slowest rate of expansion in 11 months, barely above the level indicating no growth at all, according to preliminary results from a key survey published Thursday.

The HSBC flash Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) eased to 50.1 in June, down from 51.6 in May.

China lifts banks reserve requirements half point

China's central bank on Tuesday lifted the ratio of funds banks must set aside as reserves by a half point effective from June 20, marking the sixth such increase so far this year. The surprise move came after the release of data earlier Tuesday showing consumer prices rose to a nearly three-year high of 5.5% in May

China’s consumer inflation hits 5.5%

Chinese consumer inflation accelerated in May to 5.5% from a year earlier, compared to April’s 5.3% gain. The May producer price index rose 6.8%, flat from April.Industrial production rose 13.3% from the year-ago period. Retail sales for the month were 16.9%

China exports slow, but surplus widens

The trade surplus for the month totaled $13.5 billion, compared to April’s $11.4 billion.

China’s trade surplus for May expanded from April, though the pace of growth was slower than analysts’ expectations, as export growth cooled and imports accelerated.

Exports for the month were up 19.4% from a year earlier, easing from a 29.9% rise in April, and less than a 20.4% rise suggested by the Dow Jones survey.

Imports climbed 28.4%, faster than April’s 21.8% and above the survey’s expectation for a 22% gain.

China manufacturing growth slows further

The official China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing Managers’ Index eased to 52.0 from 52.9 in April, marking the slowest pace of growth in nine months. Concern over high inflation has prompted China to tighten monetary policy and enact other measures meant to cool the economy.

Shanghai ends losing streak

Stocks in Shanghai emerged from an eight-session losing streak on bargain buying across several sectors. China’s Shanghai Composite rose 1.4% to 2,743.47 Chinese power utilities traded in Shanghai as well as Hong Kong got a boost from Beijing’s decision to increase power tariffs modestly in several mainland Chinese provinces.

Hong Kong, Japan stocks back on the rise

Hong Kong shares shook off an uncertain start to trade higher, and Japanese shares managed to stage a turnaround on Friday afternoon, with investors looking for bargains after recent losses. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1% to 23,117.59, paring weekly losses to 0.3%, helped by gains from PetroChina Co.

China’s Shanghai Composite Index wavered between gains and losses in the session, slipping 0.1% to 2,733.92.

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average edged up 0.2% to 9,578.42 in the afternoon session, as gains from Fujitsu Ltd. , up 3.5%, worked to offset losses related to a stronger yen.

China seen buying Portugal bail-out bonds

The Financial Times newspaper reported late Wednesday that China is interested in buying Portuguese bail-out bonds when the European Financial Stability Facility starts auctioning the securities next month. The report, which cited EFSF officials, said that China and other Asian investors are expected to represent a "strong proportion" of Portuguese bail-out bond buyers.