China Exports Unexpectedly Rise in Positive Sign for Economy

(Bloomberg) — China’s exports unexpectedly rose in March as demand from most Asian countries and Europe improved and as the nation’s factories resumed production, boosting the economy’s outlook and indicating global growth may be better than expected.

Exports jumped 14.8% in U.S. dollar terms last month from a year earlier, partly driven by an uptick in shipments to southeast Asian nations and resilient demand from South Korea and Europe. Economists had forecast a more than 7% fall, and the surprisingly strong result was the biggest divergence from expectations since at least 2018.