
BEIJING, May 14 (Reuters) - Chinese banks extended 280 billion yuan ($38.87 billion) in new yuan loans in April, below analysts' forecasts and plummeting from March's 3.64 trillion yuan, according to Reuters calculations based on data released by the People's Bank of China.
In a poll by Reuters, analysts had expected April new yuan loans would reach 700 billion yuan, compared with 730 billion yuan a year earlier.
The central bank does not provide monthly breakdowns. Reuters calculated the April figures based on the bank's January-April data released on Wednesday, compared with the January-March figure.
($1 = 7.2037 Chinese yuan renminbi)