China's industrial profit growth rallies to 6-mnth high on improved margins

Profits earned by Chinese industrial firms in April rose at their fastest pace in six months, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Sunday, as factories benefited from higher prices and strong demand.

Profits in April rose 21.9 percent year-on-year to 576 billion yuan ($90.14 billion), the quickest since October, bringing gains for the first four months of 2018 to 15 percent.

The data suggests China's industrial sector is still seeing solid growth momentum despite curbs on pollution and rocky trade relations with the United States.

Last month's rebound was helped by lower comparison figures for April 2017, higher factory prices and stronger demand, He Ping, head of NBS' industrial division, said in a statement.

It was a significant improvement over March's 3.1 percent growth that was the slowest in over a year and which government officials had blamed on the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday.

China's Jan-Feb industrial growth picks up, but pace slower than 2017

Profits at China's industrial firms picked up pace in the first two months of the year from December but still lagged growth for the whole of 2017, backing expectations the world's second-biggest economy is set to cool as Beijing clamps down on debt risks.

Slowing earnings grsowth, following a six-year high last year, could deter investment and put further pressure on China's stock markets which have taken a knock in recent sessions on growing fears of a trade war with the United States.

Weaker earnings could also complicate Beijing's campaign to reduce a mountain of debt amassed by its state-owned giants, which dominate its heavy industries.

Industrial profits rose 16.1 percent year-on-year to 968.9 billion yuan ($154.57 billion) in the first two months of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Tuesday.

That compared with a 10.8 percent increase in December, though it lagged the 21.0 percent jump for 2017 as a whole, the fastest pace since 2011, as a construction boom boosted prices of building materials from steel bars to copper pipes and cement.

Four killed in New Year London stabbings

Four young men have been killed in stabbing incidents in London amid New Year celebrations, the Met Police said.

Three were stabbed on New Year's Eve and a fourth in the early hours of New Year's Day in unrelated incidents, BBC reported on Monday.

Another young man stabbed on New Year's Day is in a critical condition in hospital.

Five men have been arrested over the death of an 18-year-old in Larmans Road, Enfield. No other arrests have been made.

In the other attacks, a 20-year-old man was fatally stabbed in Memorial Avenue, West Ham, and a 17-year-old boy was killed in Norwood Road, Tulse Hill, on New Year's Eve.

Early on New Year's Day, a 20-year-old man was fatally wounded in Bartholomew Court, Old Street. A second man in his 20s suffered critical stab injuries in the same incident.

The fatalities in the final hours of 2017 took the number of people stabbed to death in the capital last year to 80, the Met said.

Commander Neil Jerome said: "I am grateful to Londoners and visitors to the capital who co-operated with police to enable the vast majority of people to enjoy New Year's Eve.

"However, there were small groups who chose to engage in disorder and violence, and whose actions have had utterly tragic consequences.
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