Chinese exports in February are expected to have fallen 4.8% from the previous year, according to the median estimate of economists in a Reuters poll. Imports are also expected to have dropped 1.4% following the previous month’s 1.5% decline.
China’s overall trade surplus shrank from $39.16 billion in the previous month to $26.38 billion in February, according to the Reuters poll.
Such a drop would be the biggest since December 2016. But analysts cautioned that China’s data early in the year may be distorted due to the Lunar New Year, when many companies shut down.