People stand at a shopping mall near the CCTV headquarters and China Zun skyscraper, in Beijing's central business district (CBD), China September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 15 (Reuters) - J.P.Morgan and ANZ on Friday raised their 2023 economic growth forecast for China, after August economic numbers offered some signs of stabilization in the world's second-largest economy. Both raised their GDP forecast by 20 basis points each to 5% and 5.1% respectively, with JPM saying notable recovery in retail sales and rise in service activity were the biggest surprises. Zhu said additional fiscal and housing policy relaxation like subsidy for product-specific consumption support, relaxation of home buying restrictions, sales restrictions and price controls in tier-1 and 2 cities may follow in the near term. Goldman Sachs kept its third-quarter GDP growth forecast unchanged at 4.9% but said China's economy is still in a tug of war between persistent growth headwinds and increasing policy support.

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Persons: Tingshu Wang, Zhu, JPM, Goldman Sachs, Aniruddha Ghosh, Liz Lee, Gao Liangping, Kim Coghill, Varun Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, ANZ, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing's, Rights BEIJING, Bengaluru, Beijing