China’s Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, dropped 1.5 per cent year on year in March, compared with a 0.4 per cent decline in February, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday.
On a month-on-month basis, the PPI fell 1 per cent last month.
“In the first quarter of 2020, the PPI on average inched down 0.6 per cent from the same period of last year.
“Factory prices of capital goods decreased 2.4 per cent year on year in March, widening from a 1 per cent decline in February.”
Ten of the 40 surveyed industries saw price hikes month on month, while 28 reported price drops and two witnessed unchanged prices.
Among major industries, prices for oil and natural gas extraction saw the fastest retreat in March, plunging by 21.7 per cent year on year.
Prices for processing of oil, coal and other fuel slumped 10.6 per cent year on year, while those of chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing went down 5.3 per cent over one year ago in March.
The bureau’s senior statistician, Dong Lijuan, said the carry-over effect of last year’s price movements was almost zero, while new factors contributed entirely to the overall 1.5 per cent drop last month.
Monday’s data also showed China’s consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, grew 4.3 per cent year on year in March, moderating from 5.2 per cent in February. (Xinhua/NAN)
