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The China Report: Decoding the Chinese Consumer
By: James Rossiter, Alex Loo, Roman Schweizer, Oliver Chen, Robert Moskow
juill. 03, 2026 - 2 minutes
What You Need to Know:
- Our proprietary survey of over 2,000 Chinese consumers revealed a message of caution, not reacceleration
- Finances look flat, savings remain elevated, wage bargaining power is weak and property pessimism is still entrenched.
- Chinese consumers have a worsening view of the U.S., in contrast to recent U.S. polling showing slightly improving sentiment toward China.
- We are slightly more positive on the China's luxury consumers given stabilizing demand, though recovery remains slow and uneven.
The TD Cowen Insight
China’s economy remains two-speed—exports strong, consumers weak—with policy still skewed to manufacturing over household support. Our proprietary consumer survey reveals cautious, high-saving households, weak wage confidence and persistent property pessimism—pointing to a prolonged consumption recovery. We see divergence across luxury goods and nascent signs of recovery in staples.
China's Two-Speed Economy
Our Thesis
Chinese authorities have for a long time tried to boost consumer spending, but we see little progress on that front. Our data shows that sentiment isn't improving as quickly as policymakers have hoped and expectations are muted. This permeates through the economy proving that a consumption rebalancing is elusive.
What You'll Find in Our Full Research Report
We have gone straight to consumers to get their views. Our 2,000-person survey (weighted by region and demographic) asked for views on the economy, household finances, employment, geopolitics and brands.
House Price Index, By Country
Financial and Industry Model Implications
We are skeptical of a consumer turnaround in China, and our findings underpin our conviction in muted consumption growth for the year ahead. We are incrementally more constructive on the China luxury cohort given stabilizing demand, though recovery remains uneven. We are not making material changes to forecasts but continue to expect a back-end-loaded recovery with a K-shaped dynamic supporting gains in hard luxury and select prestige beauty.
What To Watch For
The ongoing property market slump has resulted in subdued consumer confidence and affects all aspects of their lives. We remain skeptical of a rebound, but this is the sector to watch for signs of a turnaround.
China Consumer Confidence
Subscribing clients can read the full report on the TD One Portal, The China Report: Decoding the Chinese Consumer