Business climate index remains high in third quarter

China's business climate index, a key gauge of business performance, remained high in the third quarter of this year despite a slight decline following a series of government measures to cool the economy, according to a regular survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The index, based on a survey of 19,500 Chinese firms, was down 1.3 points from the second quarter to 144.7 from July to September, but up eight points from a year earlier, Xinhua reported (in Chinese). The index measures year-on-year growth of companies, with 100 representing no growth from one year ago.