China's production of steel fell in July amid weak demand and a slowdown in the construction industry.
Crude steel output fell 3.6% year on year to 76.9 million tons during the month, according to Monday data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
Between January and July, steel output slipped 3.1% to approximately 577 million tons.
The data shows that the steel industry is on track to log the lowest annual total in a decade, according to a Bloomberg News report.
New Zealand first home buyers accounted for a record high market share of more than 28% of property purchases in the second quarter, according to a Monday report by Trade Me Property.The report attributed the surge to several factors, including KiwiSaver withdrawals helping buyers pull together deposits, banks deploying low-deposit lending allowances of up to 25% of owner-occupier loans at less than 20% equity, and Reserve Bank data showing 55% of first home buyer loans in June were approved with less than a 20% deposit.First home buyer momentum is not confined to major cities, with entry-level buyers finding opportunities across the country, the report added.Cotality Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson noted that sales volumes have eased somewhat in recent months and listing stock remains elevated, with values edging lower and sitting about 18% below their early 2022 peak, although remaining 16% above where they were before the pandemic.
The Thai economy expanded 1.9% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, slowing from 2.8% in the preceding quarter, according to data released by the National Economic and Social Development Council on Monday.The reading beat the consensus forecast of 1.7% tracked by Trading Economics.On a seasonally adjusted quarter-over-quarter basis, the economy contracted 0.2%, following a 0.6% expansion in the previous three-month period. The consensus forecast was for a 0.6% quarterly drop, according to Trading Economics.
Singapore's non-seasonally adjusted merchandise trade surplus shrank to SG$12.6 billion in July from SG$12.9 billion in June, according to data from Statistics Singapore on Monday.Total merchandise exports rose 40.6% year over year to SG$90.3 billion in July, softer than the 48.9% annual increase the previous month.Imports, meanwhile, jumped 36.3% to SG$77.7 billion, also decelerating from the 49.7% growth in June.