China PPI slowed from 8.8% yoy to 8.3% yoy, but still beat expectation of 7.9% yoy. However, the monthly rise of 1.1% mom in PPI was the fastest in five months, driven by surges in oil prices and non-ferrous metals.
CPI accelerated from 0.9% yoy to 1.5% yoy in March, above expectation of 1.2% yoy. Core CPI, excluding food and energy, rose 1.1% yoy, unchanged from February’s reading. Prices of some food like flour, vegetable oil, fresh vegetables and eggs rose and were “affected by the rise in international prices of wheat, corn and soybeans and the domestic [coronavirus] outbreaks”, noted senior NBS statistician Dong Lijuan.
