Asia Viewpoint: by Ma Dongwei

The National Bureau of Statistics in China announced on May 11 that the country痴 consumer price index (CPI) in April rose 0.9% on year. The CPI for April fell 0.3% from the previous month but the drop shrank by 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. Overall, prices were stable.

China痴 producer price index (PPI) in April increased by 0.9% from the previous month and by 6.8% on year. Producers purchase prices were up 1.3% from the previous month and up 9.0% on year. For the period January to April, the PPI rose 3.3% on year while producers purchase prices were up 4.3% on year. Industrial production stabilized in April. International prices for ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals increased, contributing to the rise in PPI.