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    <channel>
        <title>Weekly RSS</title>
       
        <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/rss/weekly-rss/</link>
        <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
        <language>en</language>
                <item>
                    <title>China&#x2019;s April economic growth slows from first-quarter pace</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202622_1/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[With nominal retail sales growth of just 0.2 % y-o-y in April, real growth in retail sales, which accounts for consumer price inflation, was clearly negative. Growth in online commerce slowed to around 6.5 % y-o-y, down from an average pace of nearly 9 % in the first three months of 2026 and over the past year. April sales of catering services grew at an annual rate of about 2 %, also slowing from the first quarter. China's official purchasing managers’ subindex for the services sector (services PMI) fell slightly below the 50-point neutral reading, while the S&amp;P Global index, which has a greater focus on private businesses, remained in positive growth territory at 52.6 points. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202622_1/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 13:24:49 GMT</pubDate>
                </item>
                <item>
                    <title>Trump-Xi summit in Beijing yields modest results</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202622_2/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[The positive news out of US president Donald Trump's state visit to Beijing this month included commitments from China to buy agricultural products and aircraft from the US. The previous face-to-face meeting of presidents Trump and Xi took place last October in Busan, South Korea. The original agenda for the Beijing summit included mutual easing of trade tensions, as well issues related to technological competition, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Technology issues, however, remained largely on the back burner, with no resolution on such matters as export restrictions on AI chips and other semiconductor devices. The US also made little progress in getting hoped-for Chinese support in de-escalating the Iran war. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202622_2/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 13:23:58 GMT</pubDate>
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                <item>
                    <title>China takes another step in dismantling the household registration system</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202622_3/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[The Chinese government last week released new guidance for provincial and city governments that significantly improves the access of China’s vast internal migrant population to public services. Cities are mandated to offer children of migrant workers the opportunity to attend school and, if necessary, financially guarantee children’s access to basic education. Migrant workers also gain access to social security and public health care in their city of residence, as well as the opportunity to benefit from employment services and rental housing offered by the city. The government's guidelines specify no reform schedules, and it seems that local governments are allowed to implement these reforms at their own pace. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202622_3/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 13:22:57 GMT</pubDate>
                </item>
                <item>
                    <title>Iran war and energy sector bombardment deal a double blow to Ukraine&#x2019;s economy</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202621_1/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[Damage to Ukraine’s energy sector depressed first quarter growth Preliminary figures from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine (Ukrstat) show the economy contracted for the first time in three years, falling by 0.5 % y-o-y in the first quarter of 2026. The combination of Russian bombing of energy facilities, an exceptionally cold winter and destruction of transport infrastructure hurt economic growth on a wide scale. Despite warmer weather in March and successful repairs that improved availability of electricity, recovery was held back by rising fuel and fertiliser prices caused by the Iran war. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202621_1/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2026 11:43:10 GMT</pubDate>
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                <item>
                    <title>BOFIT sees China&#x2019;s economic growth buoyed by exports this year, with a gradual slowdown over the next two years</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202620_1/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[In the  BOFIT Forecast for China 2026–2028 released last week, we predict actual economic growth this year to be around 4 %, roughly the same level of growth as last year. China’s economic growth has received surprisingly strong support from exports in recent years, and we forecast the impact of net exports on growth to stay positive this year as well. In 2027–2028, the impact of exports on GDP growth should fade while no meaningful improvement in domestic demand is expected. As a result, we see economic growth slowing to around 3½ percent next year and about 3 percent in 2028. Official statistics will likely again report figures that exceed our forecast and align with GDP growth targets, as the high political weight given to the targets does not allow for displaying clearly slower growth ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202620_1/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 12:18:21 GMT</pubDate>
                </item>
                <item>
                    <title>The yuan has appreciated moderately in 2026</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202620_2/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[The yuan this year has strengthened somewhat against both the dollar and the euro. On May 14, one dollar bought 6.79 yuan, while one euro went for 7.93 yuan. Since the beginning of the year, the yuan has strengthened 3 % against the dollar and 2.5 % against the euro. The yuan’s real effective (trade-weighted) exchange rate (REER) in March was about 1.5 % stronger than at the start of January. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202620_2/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 12:17:04 GMT</pubDate>
                </item>
                <item>
                    <title>Russian economy weakened sharply in first two months of the year; rising oil prices bring relief</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202619_1/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[While Russian economic trends weakened dramatically in January and February, transient factors were responsible for some of the GDP contraction. Economic activity has since revived on higher oil prices. Even if it takes time for the impact of increased oil earnings to be reflected on government balance sheets, they are clearly a boon for Russian government finances. Higher oil prices alone, however, are insufficient to resolve the issues with which the government currently struggles. Low, if any, economic growth is expected for the rest of this year, and federal government finances are expected to remain in deficit. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202619_1/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 10:38:28 GMT</pubDate>
                </item>
                <item>
                    <title>China increases oil imports from Southeast Asia and Russia to make up for lost Persian Gulf imports</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202618_1/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[China Customs reports that nearly as much crude oil was imported into the country in March as in March 2025, and that oil imports on-year actually increased in the first quarter of this year. By some estimates, China’s domestic oil production and oil imports in March were still larger than the country’s own oil needs, so the country continued to stockpile oil in its strategic reserves. In recent months, the volume of oil purchased from countries in the Middle East has declined slightly. The contraction was expected to intensify in April as the flow tankers departing the Persian Gulf ended with closure of the Strait of Hormuz. China has made up for lost imports from the Middle East by increasing imports from Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Southeast Asian oil imports can originate from elsewhere as transfer of cargoes from one ship to another is common in the region to disguise a cargo’s true country of origin. China’s oil purchases from Russia have increased to record levels, while oil imports from the rest of the world have remained fairly stable. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202618_1/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:45:26 GMT</pubDate>
                </item>
                <item>
                    <title>China eliminates remaining import tariffs on African nations</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202618_2/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[At the beginning of the year, China announced it would get rid of all remaining tariffs on goods from Africa as of May 1. The lifting of tariffs applies to the 53 of Africa’s 54 nations with which China has diplomatic relations. The sole excluded country is Eswatini, which has officially recognised Taiwan. China had earlier introduced a zero-tariff policy for Africa's 33 least-developed countries, meaning that Africa's middle-income and largest economies benefit most from the May expansion. The tariffs exemption applies to all product groups. Prior to the tariff elimination, imports from Africa were subject to most-favoured-nation (MFN) tariff levels. China's average MFN import tariff is around 6 % for chemicals, minerals and metals, and between 10 % and 25 % for agricultural products. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202618_2/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:44:32 GMT</pubDate>
                </item>
                <item>
                    <title>Fixed investment growth in Russia came to a standstill last year</title>
                    <link>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202617_1/</link>
                    <description><![CDATA[Russian fixed investment experienced across-the-board weakening last year, with completion of budget-funded infrastructure projects in the Far East Federal District having an especially negative impact on investment activity. The structure of investment in the country has changed considerably in recent years. Companies must increasingly finance investment projects out-of-pocket, and government budget funding is more precisely targeted than previously. Foreign financing for investment has dried up almost completely. Investment focuses increasingly on construction activity, while the share of investment in machinery &amp; equipment has decreased. The most robust growth has been seen in manufacturing industries that support the war effort and in the chemicals industry. In addition, infrastructure projects have lifted investment numbers, especially in the Far East Federal District, but many are now completed or reaching completion. Investment trends have been particularly weak in sectors and regions where exports have been hit hardest by Western sanctions. ]]></description>
                    <guid>https://www.bofit.fi/en/monitoring/weekly/2026/vw202617_1/</guid>
                    <pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:39:42 GMT</pubDate>
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