BEIJING -- China's loan demand rose in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2022, a survey of the country's bankers showed.

The index gauging the overall demand for loans stood at 59.5 percent in Q4, up 0.5 percentage points compared with Q3, the People's Bank of China said Tuesday, citing the result of a survey among senior management of the country's some 3,200 banking institutions.

The loan demand in manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and real estate sectors all edged up in Q4, the survey revealed.

Financial data from the central bank released earlier this month showed that the country's corporate sector saw growing demand for credit in November -- pointing to improving market sentiment.