China
China factory production slows to 3-year low in August
Growth in China's factory production slowed to a three-year low in August, suggesting Beijing might need to launch more stimulus efforts to reverse a painful slowdown in the world's second largest economy.
China's Aug inflation rate tipped to rise, top 2pc
China's inflation rate may pick up again and bounce back to above 2 percent in August, analysts predicted on Tuesday ahead of the weekend release of the much-watched economic data for last month.
This may further complicate economic policy decisions and hold up the announcement of additional policies to support growth, analysts said.
Brands to target lower tier Chinese cities
The next wave of consumer expenditure on brands in China will come from tier three and tier four cities in which consumption by women will be a key factor, says a new study.
MEC, the media agency, argues that T3&4 cities, which are at a different stage of development and not at all like the increasingly saturated T1&2 conurbations, offer huge potential and constitute important strategic markets.
China's retailers on the retreat
China's retailers from clothing to computers are reporting weaker sales growth, undermining Premier Wen Jiabao's goal of relying more on consumer spending for expansion as the economy cools.
China confronts mounting piles of unsold goods
After three decades of torrid growth, China is encountering an unfamiliar problem with its newly struggling economy: a huge buildup of unsold goods that is cluttering shop floors, clogging car dealerships and filling factory warehouses.
The glut of everything from steel and household appliances to cars and apartments is hampering China's efforts to emerge from a sharp economic slowdown. It has also produced a series of price wars and has led manufacturers to redouble efforts to export what they cannot sell at home.
Job cuts add to signs of China slowdown
Job cuts in China appear to be on the rise, dimming prospects for a labour market that has been a resilient bright spot amid a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.
China retail sales up 13.1pc in Jul
National Bureau of Statistics said on 9 August that the retail sales of consumer goods totaled CNY11,453.7 billion (USD1.8 trillion) from January to July, with a nominal increase of 14.2 percent (or a real increase of 11.3 percent after adjusting for price changes). The figure in July grew by 1.05 percent compared with that in June.
China consumer inflation falls to 30-month low
China's annual consumer inflation fell to a 30-month low in July, suggesting that the central bank has scope to ease policy further after rate cuts in June and July to keep the economy on track to meet an official 2012 growth target of 7.5 percent.
The government is on track to ease policy to cushion the impact of global headwinds on the world's second largest economy, but needs to tread cautiously to avoid reigniting property sector risks and fueling renewed consumer price rises.
China fails to boost Asia's confidence
Asia has been a ray of sunshine in the global economic gloom, but a confidence survey released Wednesday shows the region's executives are starting to worry as China's growth slows and exports sink.
Toothpick sellers in China fined for lacking logging licence
With reports of toothpick sellers being fined thousands of yuan for not having a logging licence, hundreds of owners of small shops in the Chinese provincial capital of Liaoning have chosen to close their doors for fears they could be the next victim of a city government crackdown.
The government launched an inspection of Shenyang stores in June, as the northeastern city prepares to host next year's 12th National Games – which Chinese media said has appeared to stretch the city's treasury thin.
