CHINA’S industrial profits edged up 0.6 percent in May from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday, slowing from a 2.6 percent rise in April and adding to pressures on the government to step up policy stimulus to support growth.

    For the first five months of 2015, industrial profits were down 0.8 percent from a year earlier.

    Industrial firms made combined profits of 2.25 trillion yuan (US$362.44 billion) in the January-May period, including 520.7 billion yuan for May.

    The central bank cut lending rates Saturday for the fourth time since November and trimmed the amount of cash that some banks must hold as reserves, stepping up efforts to support the economy.(SD-Agencies)