In the latest sign of the country's worsening deflation problem, fresh data showed consumer prices in China tumbled in January at the sharpest rate in 14 years.
AdvertisementOn an annualized month-over-month basis, consumer prices fell 4.3%, with particular weakness in food prices.
Measured year-over-year for January:Pork prices fell 17.3%Vegetable prices fell 12.7%Fruit prices fell 9.1%The producer price index, too, dropped 2.5%, while service prices climbed at 0.5% on the year, half the rate seen in December.
The more consumer prices fall, the more difficult it will be for Beijing to reverse.
Foreign investors have already fled Chinese markets in droves over the last year, and ongoing deflation could spell trouble for earnings of Chinese companies.
Persons:
—, Goldman Sachs
Organizations:
Service, National Bureau, Statistics, Bloomberg, Institute of International Finance
Locations:
China, China's, Beijing