Weak Chinese earnings guidance contrasts with solid GDP figures

Net losses and declining profits cascade, from property and steel to entertainment

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The earnings guidance from hundreds of Chinese companies suggests many are struggling even as official statistics show the overall economy growing at the government's targeted pace. © Reuters

KENJI KAWASE

HONG KONG -- A slew of annual earnings previews released by Chinese listed companies show broad weakness, a Nikkei Asia analysis has found, in contrast to the country's relatively solid official gross domestic product data.

China's statistics department reported last Friday that the economy expanded 5% in 2024, with the pace picking up in the final quarter to 5.4%. Yet according to earnings guidance from more than 500 companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, released the same evening, most expect to report either net losses or narrowing profits from the previous year.

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