China Fixed Investment Falls More Than Expected

China’s fixed-asset investment declined by 5.7% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, worse than market forecasts of a 4.9% drop and the 4.1% fall recorded in the January-May period. Property investment remained the biggest drag, plunging 18% after a 16.2% decline in January-May, as persistently weak housing demand, tighter financing conditions, and debt burdens among developers continued to weigh on the sector. Investment in infrastructure (-2.4% vs 0.6% in January-May) and manufacturing (-1.2% vs -0.4%) also dropped. Among industries, investment in the primary sector rose at a much slower pace (0.9% vs 5.9%), while investment in the secondary sector (-1.1% vs 0.1%) and tertiary sector (-8.4% vs -6.8%) declined. Excluding the property sector, fixed-asset investment was down by 2.7% in January-June, slipping further from a 1.2% fall in the first five months of the year. On a monthly basis, fixed-asset investment decreased by 0.37% in June, easing from a 1.25% drop in May.

China’s fixed-asset investment contracted by 4.1% year-on-year in the January–May 2026 period, exceeding market expectations for a 2.0% decline and worsening from the 1.6% drop recorded in the first four months of the year. Property investment remained the main drag, falling 16.2%, compared with a 13.7% decline in the January–April period, while smaller increases were recorded in infrastructure and manufacturing investment, easing to 0.6% from 4.3% and to 0.4% from 1.2%, respectively. Among industries, investment growth slowed in the primary industry (5.9% vs 10.1%) and the secondary sector (0.1% vs 2.5%), while investment in the tertiary sector fell further (-6.8% vs -4.2%). Excluding the property sector, fixed-asset investment decreased by 1.2% in the first five months of 2026, reversing from a 1.3% increase in the January–April period. On a monthly basis, fixed-asset investment fell by 1.91% in May, slipping further from a 2.36% drop in April.

China’s fixed-asset investment decreased by 1.6% year-on-year in the January–April 2026 period, against market expectations of a 1.6% increase and reversing a 1.7% rise in the first quarter. Property investment continued to decline (-13.7% vs -11.2% in January–March), while smaller increases were also recorded in infrastructure (4.3% vs 8.9%) and manufacturing (1.2% vs 4.1%) investment. Among industries, investment growth slowed in the primary industry (10.1% vs 15.9%) and the secondary sector (2.5% vs 5.8%), while investment in the tertiary sector fell further (-4.2% vs -1.0%). Excluding the property sector, fixed-asset investment rose by 1.3% in the first four months, slowing sharply from the 4.8% growth in the first quarter. On a monthly basis, fixed-asset investment dropped by 2.36% in April, following a 0.58% fall in March.