-- Growth in Chinese exports are expected to have slowed to 8.6% year over year in dollar terms in March, down from 21.8% in January and February, Reuters reported Monday, citing a poll by the newswire.
The deceleration could be attributable to the energy shocks driven by the Iran war and its impact on artificial intelligence enthusiasm, the report said.
The war in Iran could temper expectations of tech-powered exports breaking the record $1.2 trillion surplus in 2025, according to the report.
The report stated that March served as the initial assessment of AI enthusiasm's capacity to counteract energy sector pessimism, a situation exacerbated by the Strait of Hormuz closure.
Stockpiling of commodities helped cushion the blow of raw-material shocks on producer prices, the report said.
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