The main reason for the faster-than-expected growth was much stronger growth in retail sales, which accelerated to 10.6%YoY in March and 5.8%YoY for 1Q23 after 3.5%YoY growth in January to February. Such rapid retail sales growth has not been seen since June 2021.
Industrial production grew only at 3.9%YoY in March and 3.0%YoY in 1Q23 and was only slightly faster than the 2.4%YoY growth in the previous quarter. We see fairly modest growth in industrial production as a result of the drag imposed by weakening external demand in the US and Europe. By categories, most electronic production recorded contraction in 1Q23. Micro-computers, integrated circuits and smart devices fell 22.5%YoY, 14.8%YoY and 7%YoY in 1Q23, respectively, and reflecting the burden of US export bans.
In short, with this GDP report, we believe there is no immediate need for the government to put massive stimulus into the economy.
USDCNY and USDCNH should strengthen on the back of this report. When comparing the fundamentals of the US and China, China's economy is strengthening and will get stronger over the rest of the year. In contrast, the US economy will likely continue to slow. This should support the yuan against the dollar from the second quarter. Our forecast on USDCNY and USDCNH is 6.5 by the end of 2023.
- ING
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