DAVID GREENE, HOST: NPR's business news begins with China's grim trade outlook.</s>DAVID GREENE, HOST: Numbers from the month of June offered more evidence that the world's second-biggest economy might be losing steam. Exports from China fell by more than 3 percent from a year earlier. Imports were down, as well, by almost a percent.</s>DAVID GREENE, HOST: This was a surprise, as analysts expected both numbers to go up. The figures can be partially explained by a government crackdown earlier this year on the use of fake invoicing, which had been exaggerating exports.
Numbers from the month of June offered more evidence that the world's second biggest economy is losing steam. Exports from China fell by more than 3 percent from a year earlier. Imports were down as well — by almost 1 percent.