The author is chief China economist at Capital Economics Mark Williams The final reading of the HSBC/Markit manufacturing PMI for December came in at 50.5. This was unchanged from the flash estimate and squarely in line with expectations (both our forecast and the Bloomberg median were 50.5). It is the weakest reading since September. This […]

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Wealthy states and regions face the dilemma of designing border controls that reflect not only the needs and demands of their populations, but also their responsibility to those seeking to enter their territory. But states that tighten their borders me…

Representatives from the WTO’s 159 member countries recently agreed on the first multilateral trade deal in nearly two decades. While the Trade Facilitation Agreement did not address the most pressing issues, it remains an important milestone, as it reflects a broader trend toward global trade liberalization.

Announcement by top central planning authority is explicit endorsement of massive debt refinancing operation that has become unavoidable, analysts say

The author is Nomura economist Zhiwei Zhang China's official PMI fell to 51.0 in December from 51.4 in November, a weaker reading than expected. Consensus and our estimate were 51.2. PMIs across all firm sizes fell on the month, with that for large firms down by 0.4 percentage points (pp) to 52.0; that for medium-sized […]

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China’s average new home prices in December rose 12% from last year to RMB10,833 ($1,789) per square meter, according to SouFun Holdings Ltd. Beijing and Guangzhou posted the largest year-on-year gains, where home prices rose around 28%. Tianjin saw the smallest price increase of 6.1% on a year-on-year basis. Xiangtan city in Hunan province gained […]

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The central parity rate for the RMB versus the U.S. dollar reached 6.0969 on December 31, 2013, the last trading day of the year. The RMB has appreciated around 3% nominally against the U.S. dollar during the year of 2013, according to data released by the Chinese authorities. The central parity rate for the RMB […]

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China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) was 51.0 in December, down 0.4 points from November, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. The December PMI number is 0.2 points higher than the annual average in 2013. It is the fifteenth month that the gauge has stayed above 50. Numbers above 50 indicate economic expansion. […]

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Chengdu-based real estate agent information provider Haofangtong has received $10 million series A funding from Morningside Venture Capital, according to Chinese media reports. The company says it will use the proceeds to expand the national market, improve research and development capabilities, and bring users more value-added services. Founded in 2008, Haofangtong claims its core product, […]

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Beijing-based steel trading website Zhaogang.com says that it has received $34.8 million in series C funding, according to a company announcement. Bull Capital Partners and Sequoia Capital led the round. Existing investors Matrix Partners China and K2 Ventures also participated. The latest investment values Zhaogang at $2 billion. The company previously received series A funding […]

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