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Xinhua Finance/MNI China Business Survey: Slight Rise

Xinhua Finance Limited; Market News International
2008-01-25 10:21 722

SHANGHAI, Jan. 25 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Xinhua Finance (TSE Mothers: 9399) and Market News International (MNI), a part of the news service line of Xinhua Finance, today announced the January Xinhua Finance/MNI China Business Sentiment Survey. The results of the survey suggest the overall Chinese business conditions improved slightly in January, although the results showed a mixture of good and bad news.

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Overall Chinese business sentiment rose in January as companies reported better financial positions, but new orders dropped and more companies were feeling the pain from a strengthening currency.

Results in the survey were mixed and suggest companies were doing better after adapting to a climate in which the growth of new orders has slowed sharply while the cost of capital and inputs has continued to rise.

One reason for the better financial positions reported may have been reflected in the results for the index on prices received; it hit 63.52 in January, the highest level since the first survey in January 2005. That result suggests more companies were able to charge higher prices over the previous month.

But the result may also be a cause for concern. About halfway through the survey period the government announced that it will institute price controls that may limit companies from continuing to raise prices in the face of input costs that continue to rise.

The monthly survey was conducted January 7-22.

Since its inception in January, 2005, the survey has accurately tracked and predicted overall Chinese economic conditions, providing important intelligence ahead of government data. The survey has been especially important in indicating turnarounds in the economy, such as last summer’s slowdown or the pickup in activity seen since last fall.

To receive a full version of the survey, or to find out more about Xinhua Finance and Market News International, please contact us via mni@xinhuafinance.com

Notes to Editors:

About Xinhua Finance Limited

Xinhua Finance Limited ("XFL") is China’s premier financial information and media service provider and is listed on the Mothers Board of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (symbol: 9399) (OTC ADRs: XHFNY). Bridging China’s financial markets and the world, Xinhua Finance’s proprietary content platform, comprising Indices, Ratings, Financial News, and Investor Relations, serves financial institutions, corporations and re-distributors worldwide. Through its subsidiary Xinhua Finance Media Limited (Nasdaq: XFML), XFL leverages its content across multiple distribution channels in China including television, radio, newspaper, magazine and outdoor media. Founded in November 1999, XFL is headquartered in Shanghai, with offices and news bureaus spanning 11 countries worldwide.

For more information, please visit http://www.xinhuafinance.com .

About Market News International

Market News International (MNI), a Xinhua Finance company ( www.xinhuafinance.com ), is a financial news and information company dedicated to the global fixed income and foreign exchange markets. MNI joined the Xinhua Finance family in March 2004, bringing its niche expertise and extensive distribution network. Headquartered in New York, MNI has news bureaus and offices throughout the US, Europe and Asia.

With more than twenty years of history, MNI is a fully accredited news agency providing focused, timely, relevant and critical intelligence for market professionals. Its press credentials are accepted by all operations of the U.S. Government, including the White House, the Federal Reserve, both houses of Congress, all major agencies and cabinet departments, all similar government operations in the G-7 countries, as well as by supranational organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

More Information:

Xinhua Finance

Hong Kong/Shanghai

Ms. Joy Tsang

Tel: +852-3196-3983, +852-9486-4364, +86-21-6113-5999

Email: joy.tsang@xinhuafinance.com

Mr. Scott Zhang

Tel: +86-21-6113-5996

Email: scott.zhang@xinhuafinance.com

Source: Xinhua Finance Limited; Market News International
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