China's Economic Recovery Stays Firm

BEIJING   The picture for China's exports continued to improve in October, in a sign that a pickup in global demand is starting to support the nation's recovery as its enormous surge in bank lending cools off.

Exports still fell; they were down 13.8% from a year earlier in October, China's Customs agency said Wednesday, but that was a smaller decline than the 15.2% in September and 20%-plus drops earlier in the year. Adjusting for the smaller number of working days in October this year, Customs said exports would be down 9.1% from a year earlier.

China's exports hit bottom ...