Chinese economy to rebound in H2 2020, stimulus needed to bolster recovery

There signs that consumer confidence in China is gradually improving, says Reuters poll of economists.

China's economy is likely to return to modest growth in the second quarter after a record contraction, as lockdown measures ended and policymakers stepped up stimulus to combat the shock from the coronavirus crisis.

The gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, due early Thursday, will be closely watched around the world, especially as many countries continue to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic even as China has largely managed to contain the outbreak and has begun to restart its economic engines.

Analysts polled by Reuters forecast GDP to have grown 2.5% in April-June from a year earlier, reversing a 6.8% decline in the first