China’s new bank loans increased again last month, in a sign that the government is not easing off on the substantial stimulus it has injected into the economy to revive growth.

The central bank said on Wednesday that new bank lending was Rmb517bn ($76bn, €51bn, £47bn) last month, up from Rmb410bn in August and well ahead of analysts’ forecasts, bringing total new lending so far this year to Rmb8,650bn, a 149 per cent increase on the year before.