Alternative China PMI Gauge Says Business `Has Never Been Worse'

An indicator produced by a Beijing-based business school in the style of the closely-watched purchasing managers index plunged last month, adding to concerns about the slowing economy and raising the question of whether business conditions may be worse than official statistics show.

The CKGSB Business Conditions Index, compiled by the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, dropped to the lowest level in its seven-year history in September as the U.S. and Chinese governments imposed new rounds of tariffs on each other’s exports, escalating the trade war.