China’s economy expanded 4.5% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026, a rise from 4.3% in the prior quarter and surpassing market consensus of 4.4%. Economic expansion registered at 4.6% over the initial nine months of the year, maintaining the nation’s trajectory toward achieving its full-year growth objective of 4.5% to 5%.
Other economic indicators demonstrated resilience. Industrial output advanced 5.5% in September, building upon the 5.2% increase recorded in August, as retail sales growth accelerated to 1.1% from 0.4%. The surveyed urban unemployment rate moderated to 5.2% from 5.3% in the prior month.
The advances materialized notwithstanding sustained intervention by Chinese regulators aimed at bolstering the equity market, such as prompting firms and sovereign wealth vehicles to increase shareholdings and requesting certain investors to curtail disposals. Financial equities spearheaded the market’s ascent, evidenced by a 1.42% increase for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and a 3.45% advance for Agricultural Bank of China.