China’s exports grew much faster than expected in the first two months of 2024 in an early, encouraging sign for demand as the world’s second-largest economy tries to find its footing. Overseas shipments in US dollar terms rose 7.1% in the January-February period from a year earlier, well above the 1.9% forecast by economists in a Bloomberg survey, official data showed Thursday. The uptick was also much better than December’s gain of 2.3%. Imports grew 3.5%. The trade surplus was $125 billion, a record. “We are witnessing an uptick in global demand, led by stronger manufacturing activity in the US,” said Carlos ... (full story)