Caixin Survey | Consumption growth may accelerate in January-February; industrial and export growth may slow slightly

WealthCoffee · 2026-03-18T04:04:57+00:00

Affected by the Spring Festival holiday, the industrial production growth rate in January and February may slow down, with an estimated growth rate of 5.1%. Although consumption has rebounded under the support of the old-for-new policy, investment growth remains negative, and exports remain resilient. Some institutions have slightly raised their forecasts for industrial added value.

WealthCoffee

2026-03-18 04:04:57

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Caixin: Due to the long Spring Festival holiday leading to fewer working days, the growth rate of industrial production from January to February may slow down. The replacement of old products supports categories that boost consumption again. Investment growth remains negative, but exports remain resilient.

A recent survey by Caixin Media of 13 domestic and international institutions shows that, on the production side, economists’ forecasted average year-on-year growth rate of industrial added value for January to February is 5.1%, slightly below the previous value by 0.1 percentage points. The median is 5.0%, with a survey range of 4.5% to 6.9%. The previous value was 5.2%, with three institutions predicting higher than the previous value.

Chief Economist Zhang Yu of Huachuang Securities expects the year-on-year growth rate of industrial added value for January to February to be around 5.5%. On one hand, freight transportation is strong. As of March 1, the total year-on-year increase in highway freight volume was 5.6%, compared to 5.1% in the same period in 2025. Combined with export data, it is expected that exports will drive strong freight movement, indicating robust early-year production. However, due to adjustments in subsidy policies, automobile production may be somewhat weak.

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