National Bureau of Statistics of China reported that in September, aggregate retail sales showed an increase of 13.3% year-on-year, to $ 339 billion, reports Rapaport. Over the period from January to September 2013, China registered a 12.9% rise in retail sales, up to $ 2.8 trillion a year.
The data presented indicate that consumer spending on the purchase of "gold, silver and jewelry" in September increased by 18.2% compared to the same month in 2012 and reached $ 3.6 billion.
In the first nine months of 2013, consumer spending in this category jumped by 29.6% on a year-on-year basis, to $ 37 billion, the most impressive growth among all product categories. Further on the growth rates are followed by furniture and goods for construction and finishing, the purchase costs of which grew by 21% during the reporting period.