China's Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January rose by 0.5% year-on-year. This is attributed to the Chinese authorities' successive domestic demand stimulation policies and the impact of Spring Festival (Chunje) consumption.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China on the 9th, China's CPI for January increased by 0.5% compared to the same period last year. This figure slightly exceeds the median expert forecast (0.4%) compiled by Bloomberg News.
China's monthly CPI growth rate slowed down after recording 0.6% in August last year, with 0.4% in September, 0.3% in October, 0.2% in November, and 0.1% in December, but rose significantly last month. Dong Lijuan, chief statistician at the National Bureau of Statistics, explained, "January's CPI increased due to the influence of the Spring Festival," noting that demand and prices in service sectors such as travel, culture, entertainment, airline tickets, and movies rose during the Spring Festival holiday, along with food prices.
On the other hand, the Producer Price Index (PPI) fell by 2.3% last month, marking the 28th consecutive month of decline, continuing concerns about deflation. This price decline can suppress household consumption for an extended period, reduce corporate profits, and shrink investment, potentially leading to wage cuts and layoffs.
Bloomberg stated, "The temporary consumption boom during the eight-day holiday briefly masked the extent of the deflation challenge faced by the world's second-largest economy," adding, "Urgent improvement in domestic demand is needed to offset the impact of tariff increases imposed this month by the Trump administration in the United States."
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