Economy could possibly cool by Q2, analyst says

HONG KONG - China's economic growth could slow to 8 percent, Goldman Sach's Jim O'Neill said on Thursday, as economic data and a drop in commodity prices point to Beijing ending its monetary tightening policy sometime this year.

The slowdown to around 8 percent would likely occur in the second half of this year, possibly as early as the second quarter, given this week's data, O'Neill, chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, told a small media gathering in Hong Kong.

"It is my judgement that the Chinese economy is probably slowing down more than people realize," he said, adding that as a result, he was not surprised that commodity prices are coming under pressure.