Means of production prices fall in China

BEIJING -- Most of the capital goods monitored by the Chinese government registered lower prices in late April than they did in mid-April, official data showed Friday.

Of the 50 major goods monitored by the government, including seamless steel tubes, gasoline, coal, fertilizer and some chemicals, 20 reported rising prices during the period, 28 registered lower prices, while two saw prices remain unchanged, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Hog prices jumped 12.3 percent in late April from the middle of the month.

The readings, released every 10 days, are based on a survey of nearly 2,000 wholesalers and distributors in 31 provincial-level regions.