Factory inflation in China inched up at the slowest pace in a year despite soaring commodity prices in April, while consumer prices galloped at the fastest pace in five months.
The National Bureau of Statistics said the producer price index rose 8% year-on-year against an 8.3% increase in March and quicker than the 7.7% growth tipped by a Reuters poll.
The consumer price index (CPI) jumped 2.1% from a year earlier, speeding up from March’s 1.5% growth and beating expectations for a 1.8% rise.
“Producer price inflation will continue to drop back over the coming quarters,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics.
“Although there is still a great deal of uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine, we generally think global commodity prices will end the year lower.”
The slower rise in the PPI was driven by government measures to stabilise commodity prices and increase supply, the NBS said in a separate statement.
China‘s state planner called on Tuesday for stabilising energy prices and an acceleration in oil and gas exploration and development.
Beijing has targeted daily coal production at 12.6 million tonnes this year and prioritised energy security in the wake of geopolitical uncertainties caused by the Ukraine conflict.
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Price rises slowed in 22 of 40 industrial industry categories surveyed by the NBS, with prices in coal mining and washing up 53.4% year-on-year, down 0.5 percentage points from March.
China’s economy slowed sharply at the beginning of the second quarter, as authorities in dozens of cities imposed restrictions to stamp out Covid outbreaks, with Shanghai currently in its sixth week of lockdown.
The outbreaks led to a rise in the consumer price index (CPI), according to the NBS.
The CPI gained 2.1% from a year earlier, the fastest pace in five months, partly due to food prices, speeding up from March’s 1.5% growth and beating expectations for a 1.8% rise.
Food prices grew 1.9% from a year earlier, compared with a 1.5% drop in March.
CPI Growth Still Below Target
Annual CPI growth remains well below the government’s annual target of 3% this year, a sign consumer price pressures remain relatively contained.
“As such, inflation is unlikely to be a constraint on policy action by the PBOC (People’s Bank of China),” Julian Evans-Pritchard said.
The capital city of Beijing, which reported 24 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases for Tuesday, has banned residents from eating inside restaurants and suspended all gyms and offline tutoring classes.
The tighter curbs have taken a toll on China‘s economy with export growth slowing to its weakest in almost two years and factory activity contracting at a steeper pace in April.
The central bank said on Monday it would step up support for the real economy, while closely watching domestic inflation and monetary policy adjustments in developed economies.
The central bank cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves in April with more modest easing steps expected.
- Reuters with additional editing by Jim Pollard
This report was updated with further details on May 11, 2022.
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