China’s Economic Black Box

The accuracy of China’s official growth statistics is once again in question. Last week, at the annual “two sessions” conference, Premier Li Keqiang announced that China would reduce its 2019 target for GDP growth to between 6 and 6.5 percent—previously, it was “around 6.5 percent.” That same week, a group of Chinese economists published a paper with the Brookings […]

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Lies, Damn Lies, And Chinese Statistics

Is the GDP true? Of course, it isn’t. But that isn’t really important in some ways. Almost all numbers in China are open for debate. As anyone who spends time dealing with the place knows, China is full of data and numbers, and while some may be true, that doesn’t mean the data set being […]

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The Chinese Numbers Game

China just released a host of encouraging new financial data, leading some analysts to conclude that the nation’s economic problems are “bottoming out.” Don’t take that for granted. China is famous for making up important economic numbers to mask serious problems—or to present a “harmonious” picture for its society and the world. Read Here – WorldAffairsJournal

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Predicting the Future Is Easier Than It Looks

Before Billy Bean and the sabermetric revolution upended baseball and ushered in a new era of statistically driven baseball analysis, old-timers insisted that the young eggheads and their spreadsheets were no match for a time-worn scout. Experience, gut feeling, and a sense of the intangible qualities that make up a quality prospect — these were […]

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