😳 China's underconfident

China's set a pretty low goal | Eurozone retail sales were worryingly weak | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for March 7th in 2:53 minutes. ☕️ Finimized over a café de olla at [Cielito Querido Cafe]( in Mexico City (🌤15°C/59°F) Today's big stories - China set a pretty humble growth target for the year - Here are three reasons why it’s good to be a retail investor – [Read Now]( - The eurozone's weak retail sales have got economists worried Aim Low And Avoid Disappointment [Aim Low And Avoid Disappointment] What’s Going On Here? The Chinese government [announced]( a pretty unambitious growth target over the weekend. What Does This Mean? 2022 won’t be going down in the history books as a great year for China: with lingering lockdowns weighing on businesses and consumers alike, the world’s second-biggest economy only managed to clock up 3% growth – a serious fizzle after pre-pandemic years. Naturally, folks had high hopes for the country’s reopening, especially after sentiment in the manufacturing sector hit its highest level in more than ten years last month. And the nation’s increasingly clogged roads might well have motorists sighing, but they’ve got economists all goggle-eyed about how busy businesses must be. That meant observers were extra disappointed by the government’s 5% growth target – its lowest in more than thirty years. Why Should I Care? Zooming in: Not the end of the world. That target could be a wily move: China fell miles short of last year’s growth target, so the country might only be aiming low in order to meet (or beat) expectations this time. And the government announced some encouraging initiatives as well, like making domestic demand – that’s consumer spending and business investment – this year’s top priority. Talk of expanding market access for foreign investors, upping employment, and managing risk in the property sector is promising too – so don’t let the headline figure get you down. The bigger picture: Compromised commodities. China also revealed a new, smaller quota for special government bonds – a move that could trigger cutbacks by the local authorities counting on them to fund infrastructure. Combined with lower growth, that could spell trouble for the global commodities that China imports by the boatload. No surprise, then, that the prices of steel and oil both dropped on Monday. You might also like: [Five spicy stocks for China’s reopening.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Aim Low And Avoid Disappointment&utm_campaign=daily-global-07-03-2023&utm_source=email) Analyst Take These Three Things Give You An Edge Over Big Money Managers [These Three Things Give You An Edge Over Big Money Managers]( By Jonathan Hobbs, Analyst Those [professional fund managers]( have a lot going for them when it comes to making investment decisions. And having [teams of analysts]( to do their stock homework for them must be pretty sweet. But as a retail investor, [you’ve got advantages]( they’d love to have – and if you play to those strengths, you just might beat them the long run. That’s today’s Insight: [three big things that give you an edge over the investing pros.]( [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY BIT Discover a next-level all-in-one crypto exchange In the complicated world of crypto, you need an exchange that’s professional and simple. Well, check out [BIT](: the exchange’s [sprawling range of products]( – including perpetual contracts, spot trading, and options trading – mean you can invest however you want. You’ll have no trouble using cash, either. You can [convert your crypto holdings into US dollars](, and BIT’s provider Banxa makes it super simple to deposit. Plus, you can use crypto as collateral for your trades, and [trade any coin for another]( without transferring funds or fussing around with different accounts. And here’s the best bit: if you deposit via Banxa, you’ll [get $20 of trading coupons and 50% off fees with BIT](. To find out more, [join the telegram group](. [Find Out More]( Attention To Retail [Attention To Retail] What’s Going On Here? Data out on Monday [showed]( that the eurozone retail sales are still pretty scanty. What Does This Mean? Economists look to retail sales as a litmus test for consumer demand in general, so the eurozone’s latest performance has them furrowing their brows hard. Mind you, the feebleness of sales is no great surprise: the bloc's core inflation figure – which strips out volatile things like food and energy – [hit]( a record high last month, while the central bank’s hiking at the fastest pace on record to try and calm it down. But Europe’s been on the ropes according to January’s data: retail sales rose just 0.3% from the month before – well below the 1% rise economists were expecting – which left them languishing lower than the same time last year. Why Should I Care? The bigger picture: Near miss at best. Consumer spending is the lifeblood of the eurozone economy, so this news is pretty concerning, especially alongside reports that construction activity continued to shrink. And while some economists think the region will avoid a recession, data like this shows how fragile the recovery might be – and suggests the eurozone could have entered a period of stagnation. That means any kind of improvement could be an uphill slog, but there’s a slim ray of light at the end of the tunnel: consumer confidence hit a year’s high in the bloc last month. Zooming out: Let them eat cake – for real. The French government is doing its best to help, [striking]( a deal with major supermarkets on Monday in a bid to stop inflation from emptying French pantries. The move will see retailers sell essential groceries at the cheapest possible prices – which will pinch their wallets by hundreds of millions of euros, but probably delight shoppers. You might also like: [The euro is running out of steam.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Attention To Retail&utm_campaign=daily-global-07-03-2023&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “The dream was always running ahead of me. 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