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China’s factory output and consumption beat forecasts, while property investment contraction slows

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China's factory output and consumption beat forecasts, while property investment contraction slows

Staff sort parcels on the mail sorting assembly line at the Postal Delivery Logistics Joint Distribution Center in Mengshan County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi Province, China, on January 28, 2026. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images

China’s economy started on a strong footing this year, with consumption and production both beating expectations as holiday spending and strong foreign demand provided an early boost.

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Retail sales for the first two months of the year rose 2.8% from a year earlier, beating economists’ forecast for a 2.5% growth, while reflecting a notable slowdown from the 4% growth in the January-February period in 2025.

Industrial output climbed 6.3%, also exceeding expectations for a 5% jump in a Reuters poll. Industrial production has been a relative bright spot in the world’s second-largest economy, thanks to resilient external demand, particularly from European and Southeast Asian nations.

Investment in fixed assets, which includes property, advanced 1.8% from a year earlier, compared with the forecast of a 2.1% drop. Investment in real estate development declined further as a real estate crisis dragged on, falling 11.1% in January and February, moderating from the 17.2% drop in 2025.

The fixed asset investment saw an unprecedented slump in 2025, declining 3.8% year over year, as a deepening property downturn and tighter constraints on local governments’ borrowing hampered one of China’s traditional growth drivers.

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Chinese leadership unveiled its annual economic goals for 2026 just last week, tamping down the GDP growth target to a range of 4.5% to 5%, the least ambitious goal on record going back to the early 1990s.

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Crypto World

Ripple linked token jumps as breakout extends on broad bitcoin-led move

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Ripple linked token jumps as breakout extends on broad bitcoin-led move

XRP pushed higher after clearing a key resistance level, extending a breakout from a multi-month consolidation range.

News Background

  • XRP’s latest move comes after several months of sideways trading, where the token repeatedly failed to sustain rallies above the mid-$1.40 area.
  • The breakout marks the first clear move above that ceiling since early 2026, shifting short-term momentum toward buyers.
  • While the price advance lacked a clear XRP-specific catalyst, activity on the XRP Ledger has continued to rise.
  • Tokenized real-world assets on the network recently climbed sharply, with the value of tokenized commodities approaching $1.14 billion during the first quarter.

Price Action Summary

  • XRP rose from about $1.41 to $1.47 during the latest 24-hour session
  • The token broke through the $1.426 resistance zone that capped previous rallies
  • Trading volume spiked to roughly 170 million tokens during the breakout
  • XRP traded within a roughly 5% intraday range

Technical Analysis

The key development was the breakout above $1.426, which had acted as a ceiling throughout recent consolidation. Once the level cleared on strong volume, price accelerated quickly toward the $1.47 area.

Short-term charts show a sequence of higher lows forming after the breakout, suggesting buyers are attempting to turn the former resistance zone into support.

Momentum remains constructive while XRP holds above roughly $1.43. The next technical barrier sits near the $1.48–$1.50 area, where previous rallies have stalled.

What traders say is next?

Traders are now focused on whether XRP can maintain support above the $1.43–$1.44 breakout level.

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If that zone holds, the token could extend the move toward $1.50 and potentially the $1.55 region as momentum builds.

However, a drop back below $1.43 would weaken the breakout and could pull XRP back toward the previous consolidation range near $1.39–$1.40.

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Crypto World

ASIC has Warned Against Listening to Finfluencers and AI Financial advice

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Australia’s financial regulator has urged young investors not to rely on social media influencers and artificial intelligence chatbots to make financial decisions, according to a study that also found that one in four “Gen Zs” invest in crypto.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) posted the results of a survey on Sunday, finding that Gen Z has high levels of trust in “often unreliable sources,” which has contributed to riskier financial decisions.

“Moneysmart’s Gen Z study found that while Gen Z has a strong appetite for reputable and trustworthy financial content, many struggle to find it – and their search often leads them to sources designed for engagement rather than accuracy,” said ASIC. 

ASIC took action against influencers over their financial social media content last year in June, issuing warning notices to 18 influencers “suspected of unlawfully promoting high-risk financial products and providing unlicensed financial advice.”

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The latest survey, conducted between Nov. 28 and Dec. 10 last year with 1,127 respondents between 18 and 28, found that 63% of the group uses social media for financial information and guidance, while 18% use artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and 30% said they use YouTube specifically.

It also found that 56% of Gen Z say they “somewhat or completely trust” financial information on social media, with 52% saying the same of “finfluencers” — social media influencers primarily covering financial or investment niches who appear well-versed in finance. 

AI, however, was the most trustworthy among Zoomers, at 64%.

ASIC calls for caution on crypto influencers

The survey also showed that 23% of Gen Z now own crypto in Australia, with 29% of these trading based on social media and influencer content, prompting a warning that influencers may “set unrealistic expectations” about investment returns, market volatility, and the intricacies of long-term investing.​

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Breakdown of Gen Z crypto activity. Source: ASIC

​Speaking with the Australian Financial Review (AFR) on Sunday, ASIC commissioner Alan Kirkland said the regulator has been keeping an eye on marketing activity designed to drive people to make investments, noting some of them are scams. 

“We’re conscious that there’s a lot of marketing activity on social media to encourage crypto investment, and our work has shown some that is actually encouraging people to invest in scams,” Kirkland said.

“It’s really important for people to be aware of those risks, because you don’t see that same volatility in other types of investments and often that volatility is driven by forces that it’s impossible for an individual sitting in Australia to understand,” he added.

Kirkland also flagged Australian superannuation funds — a $4.5 trillion market made of retirement funds — as an area in which unqualified influencers are offering advice.

“We see it most where people are lured in through social media ads and then encouraged to switch their super, because super is often people’s most valuable asset, and that’s why disreputable people often target it and why it can be so tragic if people are encouraged to put it into a risky investment,” he said.

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ASIC has AI financial advice in its crosshairs  

Kirkland also told the AFR that ASIC is “watching very closely” what types of financial information are being derived from AI tools. The commissioner warned that licenses are required for anything that gives out information representing concrete financial recommendations.  

“It is clear under Australian law that if any entity is giving financial advice, they need to be licensed. So if an AI tool, whoever’s providing it, is actually making recommendations about individual financial products, taking into account individual circumstances, that would be personal advice, so it needs to be licensed,” he said.