NBS Head Jizhe: Downward pressure on China's economy still relatively big

Having conveyed mixed numbers for the world’s largest economy, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) head Ning Jizhe crossed wires via Reuters during early Monday.

“China expects the operation of its property market to keep pace with steady growth of investment in the sector this year,” said the policymaker initially.

NBS Head Jizhe also mentioned that there was room for monetary policy to support growth, and added that he expected China's population to stay above 1.4 billion in the foreseeable future, per Reuters.

AUD/USD defends 0.7200

Considering the mixed comments, mostly upbeat, AUD/USD pares intraday losses following the news. However, downbeat S&P 500 Futures keeps the quote pressured around 0.7215 at the latest.

Read: AUD/USD stays pressured at 0.7200 amid upbeat China GDP, softer Retail Sales and risk-off mood