Chart of the Day: A Barometer for China’s Exports Hits Nine-Year High

The overseas appetite for labor-intensive goods in China surged in the third full week of March by one industry measure, offering some positive news to the export industry after the country’s shipments abroad fell in the first two months of the year.

The Yiwu small commodity export price index, which tracks goods prices charged by exporters in the eastern Chinese city, surged to 107.22 last week, its highest reading since 2014. Yiwu is home to one of the world’s largest wholesale markets for Christmas decorations, neckties, showerheads and a multitude of other products known domestically as “small commodities.”