At the beginning of the fourth quarter, China’s economic momentum weakened more than anticipated, weighed down by a historic decline in investment and a slowdown in industrial production, alongside persistently weak consumer demand. According to figures released Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics, fixed-asset investment fell by 1.7% over the first ten months of the year, marking the worst performance for that period on record. Bloomberg Economics analysis suggests that investment may have contracted further in October, dropping as much as 12%, continuing a five-month streak of consecutive declines. This sustained pullback highlights growing challenges in revitalizing domestic capital spending despite various policy support measures.
