Producer prices in China fall again in June

China’s producer prices fell at their fastest pace in 7.5 years According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, producer prices fell 5.4 percent in June from a year earlier and were down 0.8 percent from a month earlier. That compared with a 4.6 percent annual decline in May, weaker than surveys that had expected a 5.0 percent annual decline. Annual consumer price inflation was flat in June, below survey expectations of a 0.2 percent increase. That was the lowest inflation rate since February 2021. Consumer prices rose 0.2 percent in May from the same period a year earlier. Prices were also expected to rise 0.2 percent in June. China’s annual producer deflation deepened in June, while consumer prices remained flat, with official data on Monday falling short of market expectations. The data underscored the depth of the challenges besetting the world’s second-largest economy in stimulating demand and reviving growth. Monday's data offered fresh evidence that growth is slowing, suggesting that easing monetary policy has been insufficient to revive and sustain the country's recovery from strict "zero Covid" restrictions imposed late last year.