Can China’s reported growth be trusted?
Economists have constructed alternative gauges, some less flattering than others
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20201017_FNP001.jpg)
NO SOPHISTICATED ANALYSIS is needed to show that China is in better economic shape than most other countries these days. Just look at its bustling shopping malls, its jammed roads in rush hour and its mobbed tourist sites during holidays. But if the crowd scenes suffice to affirm that China is doing well, a little more work is needed to address the question: exactly how well? As is often the case with Chinese data, the answer is controversial.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “The real deal”
Finance & economics October 17th 2020
- The Nobel prize in economics rewards advances in auction theory
- Can China’s reported growth be trusted?
- Wall Street says it is braced for losses. Now what?
- Why securing debt forgiveness for poor countries is so hard
- Low interest rates leave savers with few good options
- The IMF predicts that the world economy will suffer from “long covid”
- The tale of Iran’s stockmarket bubble is familiar—but also strange
More from Finance & economics
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240914_FNP501.jpg)
Can anything spark Europe’s economy back to life?
Mario Draghi, the continent’s unofficial chief technocrat, has a plan
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240907_FND003.jpg)
Has social media broken the stockmarket?
That is the contention of Cliff Asness, one of the great quant investors
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240907_FNP504.jpg)
American office delinquencies are shooting up
How worried should investors be?
China is suffering from a crisis of confidence
Can anything perk up its economy?
America has a huge deficit. Which candidate would make it worse?
Enough policies have been proposed to make a call
Why Oasis fans should welcome price-gouging
There are worse things in life than paying a fair price