Morning Whistle.com

China's seven foreign trade-oriented regions are unlikely to realize their annual target of foreign trade growth this year. According to the 21st Century Business Herald, citing people who are close to these departments, China's 10 percent annual expansion target will probably be missed.

Earlier this year, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, as well as Shandong provinces planned to see local foreign trade increase at a pace of 8 percent, 10 percent, and 10 percent, respectively, compared with one year ago. Local authorities now estimate that foreign trade may only grow around 3 percent annually. Guangdong Province may relatively outstrip the others. The provincial regulator still downgraded its foreign trade growth target from 7.5 percent previously to 6.5 percent.

The Fiscal Times

China's economy, after prolonged signs of weakness, now appears to be stabilizing. Good news? That is not clear, because it is stabilizing at a lower rate of growth. 

Now the slower growth in China this year is directly related to the performance of US companies that are reporting third-quarter drops in sales and earnings. Consider the list (or part of it): Google, Apple, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, McDonald's, Caterpillar, General Electric, Coca-Cola. They have all just reported their third-quarter results and have come in below market expectations. And they all have significant exposure in China.