China manufacturing continues to shrink: official data

Chinese manufacturing shrank for a second straight month in September, according to official data released Thursday, showing the headwinds blighting the world's second-largest economy despite some signs the contraction is easing. Factory output ticked up slightly from the previous month in September, the data showed, but the recovery in the vital sector remained anaemic at a time when the health of China's economy has become a key preoccupation for world markets. China is the top global trader i