MONEY MASTER

While much of China battles deflation and sluggish consumer confidence,  JD.com Inc  just proved that  shoppers aren’t entirely holding back . During this year’s  Singles’ Day shopping festival , JD.com reported a  near 60% jump in orders  and a  40% surge in shoppers , hitting a new record for the world’s largest online shopping event. Even though the company didn’t reveal total transaction value, the scale of growth stands out against a backdrop of economic weakness and price declines — signaling that  strategic discounting and government subsidies  may still be able to reignite short-term spending momentum. Key Takeaways for Readers 1. Record growth despite deflation — consumer demand still alive. China’s overall price environment remains soft, but JD.com’s strong Singles’ Day performance shows  consumers are selectively spending  — especially when it comes to electronics and deals. Persistent deflation has made shoppers cautious...

  Beijing stands still for now, but will it blink later this year? Despite  deflation pressures  and  global trade headwinds , China’s central bank left its  benchmark lending rates unchanged  on July 21, signaling confidence in the country's  modest Q2 economic rebound  — but not ruling out more support later. Key Points : 1-Year LPR  stays at  3.0%   5-Year LPR  (influences mortgages) holds at  3.5% No surprises —  Reuters survey  predicted  no change  from all 20 analysts  Despite above-target real GDP,  nominal growth remains weak  due to  deflation All eyes now on the upcoming  Politburo meeting , expected to steer economic policy for H2 2025 Expert Insight : “China’s GDP deflator has been negative for nine straight quarters. That weighs on corporate profits and incomes. We expect another  20bps cut  by year-end — but aggressive easing is unlikely.” — Tommy Xie, O...

China's   industrial profits   declined for the   third consecutive month , falling   10% year-on-year in October , as ongoing   producer price deflation   and sluggish   factory output   overshadowed the effects of recent stimulus measures. Key Highlights October Profit Decline : Profits fell  10%  compared to a sharper  27.1% decline in September . Bloomberg Economics had forecast a larger  20% drop . Year-to-Date Performance : Profits contracted  4.3%  in the first 10 months of 2024 versus the same period in 2023. The data points to a  third annual decline  in industrial profits. Sector Impact : Industrial profits measure the financial health of factories, mines, and utilities, influencing  investment decisions . Contributing Factors Deflationary Pressures : Producer prices fell faster than expected in October, marking  China’s longest period of deflation since 1999 . Weak  domestic demand ...