China industrial output lowest in nearly three years

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese industrial production weakened sharply in April as investment slowed to its lowest level in nearly a decade, showing an economy that is surprisingly vulnerable to a global slowdown and a credit crunch at home.

BEIJING — China’s factory output growth was surprisingly feeble in April and fixed-asset investment slowed, rekindling concerns that a nascent recovery is stalling and adding to pressure on policymakers to take action to stimulate the economy. However, China’s already-easy monetary policy and rising home prices complicate the options available to Beijing’s new leadership, leading some analysts to say that any response could be limited to fiscal measures.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's vast ma

Most countries report economic data over a course of a month. China releases most of it a couple of days and this weekend was such a period. To summarize, China reported weaker imports and exports, but a larger overall trade surplus, lower inflation and weaker bank lending. 

It is not often that early sentiment is defined by developments out of Asia but this is precisely what has happened overnight.

Many have compared today’s economic recovery to the slow, stagnant growth Americans lived through in the 1970s. I argue there’s at least one significant difference: Four decades ago, the world couldn’t depend on emerging market growth like it can today.

The World Bank has slashed its growth forecast for China's economy this year to 7.7 percent from 8.4 percent, warning of a potential "sharp" slowdown triggered by a fall in investment. The projection is lower than the 7.8 percent expansion the country recorded in 2012, which was its weakest in 13 years, and comes as a slew of data indicate the economy is struggling to pick up pace.