From January to May, Huai'an's economic performance remained generally stable, showing steady progress.

Industrial production grew steadily. During that period, the city's total industrial output value of enterprises above the designated size increased by 8.5% year on year. Its industrial added value for enterprises above the designated size rose by 7.6%, with a cumulative increase of 6.7%, up 0.2 percentage points from the last period. In terms of key industries, the cumulative output value growth rates of five key sectors, namely non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling processing, metal products, electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing, computer, communication, and other electronic equipment manufacturing, and comprehensive utilization of waste resources, were 31.3%, 16.5%, 16.1%, 29.0%, and 77.1%, respectively. Together, they contributed a total increment of RMB 11.59 billion, driving the city's cumulative added value growth rate up by 6.9 percentage points.

Industrial investment grew at a relatively fast pace. From January to May, fixed asset investment in Huai'an increased by 0.1% year on year. Industrial investment rose 5.8% year on year, with the growth rate accelerating by 2.1 percentage points compared with the January–April period. Among these, investment in computer, communication, and other electronic equipment manufacturing, electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing, and specialized equipment manufacturing exceeded RMB 5 billion, contributing to the relatively rapid growth in industrial investment.

Market consumption showed steady progress. From January to May, the city's total retail sales of consumer goods reached RMB 89.07 billion, up 4.0% year on year. Of this total, retail sales by enterprises above the designated size amounted to RMB 26.24 billion, up 7.3% year on year, with the growth rate rising 0.4 percentage points compared to that of the January–April period. Among the above-designated-size enterprises, those in the wholesale, retail, accommodation, and catering sectors reported cumulative retail sales growth of 1.3%, 7.6%, 6.0%, and 8.2%, respectively. The retail sales of commodities in three major categories—the grain, oil, and food category, the beverage category, and the cultural office supplies—increased by 39.9%, 35.7%, and 25.6%, respectively, continuing to maintain a positive recovery trend.