Source: Bloomberg A Chinese leading indicator climbed for the third straight month, adding to evidence that the world’s second-biggest economy is withstanding Europe’s debt crisis and faltering growth in the US. The index rose 0.5 per cent to 155 in May, The Conference Board said on its website Wednesday, citing a preliminary reading. The gauge...

Source: Bloomberg China’s stocks fell, driving down the benchmark index by the most in a week, on concern banks’ fundraising will drain capital from existing shares and policy tightening measures may slow the economy. China Merchants Bank Co, the nation’s sixth-largest lender, dropped to a one-month low on plans to raise as much as RMB35...

Source: Bloomberg Most Chinese stocks fell as property developers slumped on concern the government will intensify curbs to slow price gains, countering gains by drugmakers on speculation rising government investment will boost earnings. China Vanke Co and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd led declines among developers and banks after China Business reported the...

Source: AFP Foreign direct investment in China soared 18.4 per cent from a year earlier in the first half, the government said Friday, suggesting confidence in the world’s second-largest economy was still strong. Foreign companies invested US$60.89 billion in factories and other projects in China from January to June ‒ higher than the US$51.4 billion...

Source: AFP China’s economy expanded at a slower but still robust pace in the second quarter, it said on Wednesday, as Beijing battles to bring politically sensitive inflation under control. Gross domestic product in the world’s No. 2 economy grew 9.5 per cent year-on-year in the April-June period, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said,...

Source: AFP New loans issued by China’s banks fell nearly 10 per cent in the first half of 2011, the central bank said Tuesday, suggesting Beijing’s efforts to stem a flood of liquidity are bearing fruit. Chinese banks handed out RMB4.17 trillion (US$644 billion) from January to the end of June ‒ down RMB449.7 billion,...

Source: AFP China’s current account surplus plunged 21 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter, revised government figures showed Monday ‒ a much larger fall than previously announced. The current account surplus ‒ the broadest measure of trade with the world ‒ reached US$28.8 billion in the first three months of the year, the State...

by Jared Heng Starting May 2012, Finnair will introduce a direct flight route from Helsinki to Chongqing, a major city that is among the fastest-growing in China. The airline said the move is driven by its goal of benefiting from market growth in Asia and opening new routes to markets where growth is strong. “China...

Source: Bloomberg China may limit interest-rate increases for the rest of this year as Premier Wen Jiabao bets that a slowing economy will help tame inflation after five moves since mid-October. A quarter-point boost to one-year lending and deposit rates was announced late-Wednesday, effective from Thursday. That may be the last for 2011, according to...

Source: Bloomberg China’s stocks rose, driving the benchmark index to a seven-week high, on speculation the central bank is done raising interest rates this year after the third increase of 2011 took effect Thursday. China Merchants Bank Co led gains for financial companies after Citigroup Inc and Barclays Capital said lenders’ net interest margins will...

Source: Reuters China raised interest rates for the third time this year on Wednesday, making clear that taming inflation remains a top priority even as its vast economy gently eases. The 25-basis-point increase in lending and deposit rates underscores China’s quiet confidence that the world’s second-biggest economy is resilient enough to take tighter monetary policy...