China's consumer boom facing slowdown: Macquarie (by Chris Oliver)

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Recent checks on spending patterns among mainland China consumers point to a nationwide slowdown in spending, Macquarie Securities said Monday, and warned on the outlook for shares of consumer-related companies, saying it had lowering its assumptions on sales growth. In a research note Friday and emailed to reporters Monday, Macquarie cautioned that rental costs and staff wages were set to rise as consumer spending cooled. Companies with resilient revenues and operating leverage would be among the better positioned as conditions deteriorate, the brokegage said.