Understanding a country’s economy is difficult. Understanding China’s economy is more difficult than most because so many of its statistics are not reliable.
Yet it goes without saying that understanding China’s economy is important and, for some businesses and people, it is critical.
If you want to understand China’s economy and, more importantly, understand how to analyze China’s economy so as to be able to understand it, the book, Understanding China’s Economic Indicators is an absolute must-read. The book was written by Tom Orlik, a Wall Street Journal China correspondent and the writer of its “Heard on the Street column.” Before joining the journal, Orlik was a China economist for Stone & McCarthy Research Associates.
The book’s cover does an excellent (and truthful) job in talking up the following goodies contained within:
- Which numbers can you trust…and what do they really mean? Detailed coverage of 35 key indicators—and their impact on equity, commodity, and currency markets.
- This expert guide to China’s economic statistics gives you the up-to-the-minute knowledge you need to invest more profitably in China. The only book of its kind, it fills a pent-up demand for tradable information on China’s growth, inflation, investment, consumption, labor market, and financial data.
- Tom Orlik identifies the indicators that matter most—ranging from gross domestic product to real estate construction, imports and exports to household spending and inflation. He explains everything investors need to know about their reliability—and drills down to reveal their specific implications for the markets.
- Unprecedented in its clarity, depth, and insight, Understanding China’s Economic Indicators is an essential resource for every professional and individual investor seeking profits in the world’s fastest-growing, fastest-changing economy.
- In this book, leading economist and market analyst Tom Orlik introduces 35 of China’s most significant economic data series, explaining why each one matters, how it is collected and computed, and how it impacts equity, commodity, and currency markets.
- Orlik helps investors make sense of data on everything from Chinese GDP growth to inflation, unemployment, bond yields, electricity production, and aircraft passenger numbers. Every indicator is clearly described, along with a practical discussion of its investment implications.
- This information is indispensable for anyone considering investments in China, or in the global markets that are moved by China’s data. Never before has it been organized so effectively–or presented with such clarity and insight.
The book actually does fulfill all of the above claims for it and though it is anything but light reading, it is so clearly written as to make even the most difficult concepts understandable. I am always complaining about how few real economists there are who are both knowledgeable about China and write in English. Orlik most certainly fits both bills and for those who want to read a serious book about China’s economy, I cannot recommend “Understanding China’s Economic Indicators” highly enough.
