China: Retail sales growth wanes in April
Retail sales increased 17.7% year-on-year in April (March: +34.2% yoy), markedly undershooting market expectations.
On a monthly basis, retail sales rose 0.3% in seasonally-adjusted terms in April, which was below March’s 0.9% expansion. Meanwhile, the trend improved significantly, with the annual average growth of retail sales coming in at plus 11.0% in April, up from March’s 8.9%.
Stronger private spending should be an important growth driver later this year—after lagging other indicators such as industrial production in 2020—as sentiment improves and the labor market strengthens.
On the outlook for private spending in light of April’s weaker-than-expected retail sales reading, Ho Woei Chen, economist at United Overseas Bank, commented:
“The survey jobless rate is at its lowest since November 2019 when it was at the same rate. The improvement in the labour market supports optimism for consumption recovery ahead even though private spending has remained cautious due to the uncertainties, including the flare up in Covid-19 infections across Asia.”