China Q4 Growth Expected to be 8.7% Outflows Increasing

China a harbinger for global slowdown

Data on Tuesday is expected to show growth in China, the world's second-largest economy, cooled in the fourth quarter to 8.7 percent from a year earlier, against 9.1 percent in the prior quarter. It would be the slowest pace of growth since mid-2009 when the global economy was crawling out of a deep recession.

Anything under 9% is generally considered by analysts and watchers to be too slow to properly transition the workforce from rural to urban and eventually to consumer.

China posts third consecutive month of outflows

China's central bank and commercial banks sold a net 100.3 billion yuan ($15 billion) in December in foreign exchange in December, Reuters calculation based on official data showed.

That followed a net sale of 27.9 billion yuan in November and a net sale of 24.9 billion yuan in October.

Foreign Exchange Holdings declined $21 billion in Q4.