The offshore yuan weakened to around 7.09 per dollar on Friday, retreating from a two-week high reached in the previous session as disappointing economic data weighed on market sentiment. Fixed-asset investment fell 1.7% year-on-year in January–October 2025, a sharper decline than both market expectations and the previous month’s reading. In addition, industrial output eased to a more-than-one-year low of 4.9% in October, while retail sales posted its fifth consecutive month of deceleration and the weakest growth in over a year at 2.9%. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate edged down to 5.1%, compared to market expectations and the prior month’s level. The latest economic data, together with a recent surprise contraction in exports, has intensified concerns about China’s growth outlook and the strain on global trading partners facing increased competition from Chinese goods. Despite Friday’s losses, the yuan remains on track for a weekly gain.
