---
title: "China's economic slowdown deepens: Retail sales flatline and factory output tumbles"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/286717849.md"
description: "China's economy faced a significant slowdown in April 2026, with retail sales growth flat at 0.2% year-over-year and factory output dropping to 4.1%, both missing market expectations. Business investments fell by 1.6%, reversing previous gains. The urban unemployment rate decreased to 5.2%, while the property market continued to decline, with new home prices down 3.5%. The Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen Component saw slight increases, but the offshore yuan weakened amid negative economic sentiment."
datetime: "2026-05-18T05:27:31.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/286717849.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286717849.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/286717849.md)
---

# China's economic slowdown deepens: Retail sales flatline and factory output tumbles


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