China Retail Sales Seen Rising 1.9% in April as Slow Start Extends

2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · May 15

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect China’s retail sales to rise 1.9% in April from a year earlier when data are released Monday.
That would mark only a slight pickup from March’s 1.7% gain, leaving consumption on one of its weakest starts to a year outside the pandemic.
Industry is still expected to outpace consumer spending, extending a K-shaped split in China’s economy even as trade remains a relative bright spot.
The divergence suggests household demand is still lagging despite external support, pointing to another quarter of uneven growth.

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