China's central bank lowered its policy rate on Thursday after recent data suggested that the bounce back from the pandemic-related downturn seen at the start of the year proved to be temporary. Calling for more stimulus measures, official data released today showed that retail sales growth decelerated sharply reflecting weak domestic demand, and industrial production posted slower growth on subdued local and foreign orders.
The People's Bank of China reduced the one-year medium-term lending facility, or MLF, rate by 10 basis points to 2.65 percent.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.