While countries worldwide are struggling to keep their economies afloat given that another wave of COVID-19 infections is happening, others are flourishing.
The data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China showed that the country’s economic rebound from the pandemic pushed the gas pedal in the third quarter. The world’s second-largest economy expanded 4.9% compared to both year-ago numbers and this year's Q2 of 3.2%. However, the growth is weaker than the 5.2% expected by the markets.
According to analysts, all was possible due to the drastic lockdowns and policies enforced to contain the virus. Moreover, the country put aside hundreds of billions of dollars to finance massive infrastructure projects made to boost economic growth. For the first nine months of 2020, the Chinese GDP grew by 0.7%.
The growth has been fueled by the 0.9% increase in retail sales, in September alone gaining 3.3%, as more people "come out from their homes and spend money in the physical shops." At the same time, the industrial production grew 5.8%, the figures being higher than the 4.4% uptick reported in Q2.
To keep this momentum, the country is focusing on domestic demand. According to Yi, the central bank governor, there won’t be a change in the current policies anytime soon. Moreover, the governor expects rising debt and bad loans.
Following the news, HongKong45 gained 0.6%.
Sources: reuters.com, forexfactory.com, edition.cnn.com