On Monday, the week kicked off with the report on China's industrial sector activity. The PMI index surprised on the upside, rising to 49.3 and beating consensus estimate of 49.2 points. The slowdown in activity has been gradually easing for the second consecutive month, alleviating concerns about China's economy and supporting the search for yield in asset markets. However, it's important to note that the index remains below 50 points, and talking about optimism may be premature: {chart} Asian and European stock markets began the week on a positive note, with Japanese and Korean indices closing with gains of over ... (full story)