FILE PHOTO: Men stand on a balcony overlooking the central business district in Beijing, China December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
March 15, 2022
BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s economy perked up in the first two months of the New Year, with key indicators all exceeding analysts’ expectations, although a surge in COVID-19 cases, a property downturn and heightened global uncertainties weigh on the economic outlook.
Industrial output rose 7.5% in January-February from a year earlier, the fastest pace since June 2021 and up from a 4.3% increase seen in December, data from National Statistics Bureau showed on Tuesday. That compared with a 3.9% surge in a Reuters poll.
Retail sales, a gauge of consumption that has been lagging since COVID hit, expanded 6.7% year-on-year amid rising demand during the Lunar New Year holidays and Winter Olympic Games. It also marked the…
