China’s consumer prices rose 1.7 percent year-on-year in November of 2017, after a 1.9 percent rise in October and slightly below market consensus of a 1.8 percent gain. The slowdown was mainly due to a further fall in cost of food while cost of non-food continued to increase.
In November, the politically sensitive food prices declined by 1.1 percent (from -0.4 percent in the prior month) while non-food cost rose 2.5 percent (from 2.4 percent). Cost of consumer goods went up 0.9 percent (from 1.1 percent) and those of services increased by 3.1 percent (from 3.2 percent).
Among food, prices dropped for: pork (-9.0 percent from -10.1 percent); fresh vegetables (-9.5 percent from 0.3 percent) and fresh fruits (3.7 percent from -0.7 percent). In contrast, prices rose for: eggs (5.6 percent from 3.1 percent) and milk (0.4 percent from 0.3 percent). Meantime, prices of tobacco was flat (after a 0.1 percent fall in a month earlier).
For non-food categories, prices increased at a slower rate for: healthcare (7.0 percent from 7.2 percent); education, culture & recreation (2.0 percent from 2.3 percent) and other goods and services (1.7 percent from 1.8 percent). Meantime, cost rose more for transport and communication (1.3 percent from 0.8 percent) while inflation was steady for: rent, fuel & utilities (2.8 percent) and household goods and services (1.5 percent).
On a monthly basis, consumer prices were flat, following a 0.1 percent growth in a month earlier while markets estimated a 0.1 percent rise.
The producer price index increased by 5.8 percent from a year earlier in November of 2017, compared to a 6.9 percent rise in the prior two months and slightly less than market estimates of a 5.9 percent gain. It was the 15th straight month of rise in producer prices but the least since July. Cost went up less for means of production (7.5 percent from 9.0 percent, namely extraction: 10.8 percent, raw materials: 9.7 percent and processing: 6.3 percent). Also, prices rose at softer pace for consumer goods (0.6 percent from 0.8 percent, namely food production: 0.4 percent, clothing: 0.7 percent and daily use goods: 1.7 percent). At the same time, prices of consumer durable goods were unchanged for the fifth month in a row. On a monthly basis, producer prices rose 0.5 percent, compared to a 0.7 percent gain in October.