BENGALURU (July 15): Goldman Sachs on Monday lowered its forecast for China's 2024 gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 4.9% from 5.0%, after data showed that the country's economy had slowed in the second quarter.

The world's second-largest economy grew 4.7% in April to June, official data showed, its slowest since the first quarter of 2023, and missing a 5.1% analysts' forecast in a Reuters poll.

"To counteract weak domestic demand, we believe more policy easing is necessary through the remainder of this year, especially on the fiscal and housing fronts," said Goldman Sachs economists led by Lisheng Wang.

JPMorgan, meanwhile, said China's second-quarter GDP report and June activity data showed that economic activity in the country remained "fragile, unstable and uneven".

The brokerage lowered its 2024 GDP growth forecast for the country to 4.7%, compared with an earlier estimate of 5.2%.