China's industrial firms rebounded in March. Their profits rose by 11 percent to just over 560 billion yuan, or about 86.5 billion US dollars.

That's the fastest growth in a year and a half. The encouraging end to the quarter meant that overall Q1 profits rose by 7.4 percent to 1.3 trillion yuan. The positive reading comes on the back of rising demand for industrial products, less price pressure, and lower costs. However, state-owned-firms, which are undergoing reforms, saw profits drop by nearly six percent in Q1. The best performers are companies in mid-stream industries, such as chemicals and automotive.