Bloomberg News Sign up for the New Economy Daily newsletter, follow us @economics and subscribe to our podcast . China’s factory activity expanded in December as production and sales picked up, though employment remained weak, a private gauge showed Tuesday. The Caixin Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 50.9 last month from November’s 49.9, Caixin and IHS Markit said in a statement . Economists had expected a marginal improvement to 50, the dividing line between expansion and contraction. Output rose at the fastest pace in the past year, supported by improved market conditions and stronger customer demand, while inflation eased, according to the statement. Employment fell for the fifth month in a row, with the sub-index dropping to 48.7, the weakest since February last year. “Manufacturing demand and supply improved in December with easing inflationary pressure,” said Wang Zhe, a senior economist at Caixin Insight Group, which released the […]