A Cautious Look at China's Industrial Pulse
Let’s be honest, trying to read the tea leaves of China’s economy has become a full time sport for investors. One minute it’s on the brink of collapse, the next it’s roaring back to life. Most of the time, I find it’s best to tune out the noise. Every so often, however, a signal emerges that’s a little too clear to ignore. To me, the recent uptick in China’s manufacturing data feels like one of those moments.
After what felt like an eternity of contraction, the country’s Purchasing Managers' Index, a rather useful barometer of factory health, has poked its head above the 50 point mark for two months running. In simple terms, this means the factory floor of the world is getting busier. For an investor, this is where things could get interesting, because a manufacturing recovery tends to follow a rather predictable script.