SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese industrial sector profits rose 2.6 per cent in April, in their first annual rise since last September, National Bureau of Statistics data showed, in a sign that the central bank's easing measures may finally be filtering into the real economy.

Profits were still down 1.3 per cent for the year to date, reflecting the extreme weakness of growth in the first quarter.

With China's credit and money supply data in April missing expectations on the one hand, and some signs of a bottom in the real estate sector on the other, analysts have been watching closely for any signs of a turnaround in the industrial sector.