China's consumer inflation quickened in August, spurred by runaway pork prices, while producer prices slipped deeper into deflation, data showed on Thursday. China's consumer price index (CPI) rose 2 percent in August from a year earlier, against expectations for a 1.8 percent rise from a Reuters poll and following July's 1.6 percent gain. The producer price index (PPI) fell 5.9 percent, compared with an expected 5.5 percent drop and after a 5.4 percent decline in the previous month. This marks the 42nd consecutive month of declines. Consumer prices in China have been fueled by rising food costs, in particular pork ... (full story)