Hey there! 😊 Let’s talk about something interesting happening in China. In December 2024, the prices of things people buy every day went up just a tiny bit. This is measured by something called the Consumer Price Index, or CPI for short. The CPI went up by 0.1% compared to last year.
What’s the CPI? 🤔 It’s a way to see how much prices have changed for things like food, clothes, and toys. If the CPI goes up, it means these things are costing a bit more.
There’s also a thing called the Core CPI, which doesn’t count prices for food and energy because those prices can change a lot. The Core CPI went up by 0.4% in December.
But even with these small increases, some experts think people aren’t spending a lot of money right now. 📉 Shi Fanqi, a teacher at Peking University, says the government might need to help people feel better about spending by boosting their incomes.
On the other hand, the prices that factories charge for things they make went down by 2.3%. This is called the Producer Price Index, or PPI. When the PPI goes down, it means it costs less for factories to make things, but they might also be earning less money.
The good news is that the drop in the PPI wasn’t as big as the month before. Some industries, like oil and gas, showed smaller declines, which could be a positive sign! 🌟
Understanding how prices change helps us learn about the economy and how it affects everyone. Next time you go shopping, think about how these numbers might change the prices you see! 🛍️
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
