Preliminary data show Chinese consumer sales during the Labor Day holiday jumped
14.3% year-on-year, slightly above the February Lunar New Year increase.
Economists caution the boost may be temporary, with retail growth likely slowing
afterward amid a soft labor market, high youth unemployment, and a struggling
property sector. Michelle Lam of Societe Generale and Duncan Wrigley of Pantheon
Macroeconomics highlight housing confidence and Tier-1 city price trends as key
factors for sustaining consumption momentum.