Tracking China’s economy and commodity needs is getting harder

News Snapshot:

Until 2020, commodities traders and economists needed only a handful of data points to gauge the health and direction of China’s economy, and the volumes of raw materials needed to fuel the world’s largest trading partner and goods producer. But over the past five years, the make-up of China’s economy has shifted from being mainly reliant on construction and heavy industry to being driven more by goods manufacturing and services that are far less materials and energy-intensive. Here’s a guide to the key old and new-ish data points needed to keep a read on the world’s second-largest economy, and how...