Markets in Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai, among others, remained closed for the Lunar New Year holidays.
Or did more workers than expected return to its production lines after the Lunar New Year break?
She added that the Lunar New Year also affected the import numbers as companies restock ahead of the celebrations.
Most Asian markets were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, while Japan was shut for National Foundation Day.
Department stores and supermarkets reported that sales over the lunar new year holiday were 10-20% higher than in 2008.
Fireworks are traditionally set off in China to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is just over a week away.
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The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many countries, most notably in China, and holiday times usually mean less physical demand.
Most Asian markets were closed Monday for the Lunar New Year celebration.
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Chinese markets will be closed all next week for the Lunar New Year holidays, while Hong Kong will be dark Monday through Wednesday.
As the Chinese start preparing for the lunar new year by ancient tradition a time for debts to be settled the money may grow tight.
In addition, the Lunar New Year holiday, which essentially shut down the country for a week in January, was a temporary brake on demand.
The Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to faxed requests for comment on Tuesday, a public holiday in China marking the Lunar New Year.
The World Luxury Association, when it reported the Mainland spending plunge during the lunar new year period, stated that purchases by Chinese overseas rose 18%.
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Just before the lunar new year the government announced unprecedented one-off payments totalling 9.7 billion yuan to 74m people living close to the poverty line.
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China is on holiday all week for the Lunar New Year.
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The Lunar New Year celebration is occurring this week in Asia.
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Barclays Capital analysts said without any support from a firmer euro, combined with the Lunar New Year holidays next week, gold could see its gains capped.
Since the beginning of the Lunar New Year holiday, the number of daily visitors to the spa has risen to about 1, 700, compared with 1, 300 normally.
China Daily says many businesses in the south and east coast are having difficulties recruiting enough migrant workers after the lunar new year holidays last week.
Hu, who works in PR, doesn't think the Lunar New Year will be any less enjoyable this year because of the campaigns to reduce waste and fireworks.
March is considered a key month to assess manufacturing activity as data in January and February is skewed by the Lunar New Year Holiday when many factories are shut.
As both countries celebrate the Lunar New Year starting this weekend, South Korea is expecting a 25% jump in the number of Chinese visitors from last year's holiday period.
Valentine's Day is almost as dear to the Chinese as the Lunar New Year, but they view it primarily as an opportunity for men to demonstrate their worthiness and commitment.
Businesses also are sending postcards to workers who visit their families during the Lunar New Year when manufacturers can lose 20% or more of their staff urging the employees to return to work.
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However, some analysts tempered the enthusiasm, saying trade data for China is unpredictable at the beginning of the year because of the Lunar New Year holiday when many factories shut down.
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By contrast in Indonesia, the ethnic Chinese this year were allowed to celebrate the Lunar New Year for the first time in a generation, now that Suharto's iron rule is gone.
China's biggest holiday, the Lunar New Year, began Monday.
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The Lunar New Year break adversely affected the number, but the results for the first two months, when they are aggregated to eliminate the holiday effect, may not look much better.
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China's trade data are volatile in the early months of each year as companies shut down for several weeks during the Lunar New Year and then buy raw materials to resume production.
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