China Might Have Overstated Growth in Standard Chartered View

China’s third-quarter growth may have been weaker than official data indicate even amid signs expansion may be picking up, according to analysts at Standard Chartered Plc and Capital Economics Ltd.

A slowdown in electricity production and an “unimpressive” reading in a manufacturing survey are reasons September’s pickup in factory output was “a bit difficult to believe,” Standard Chartered said in an Oct. 18 note. Capital Economics said its own analysis indicates the economy expanded about 6.5 percent in the third quarter, below the 7.4 percent year-over-year growth reported by the government this week.