The HSBC/Markit Services Purchasing Managers’ Index estimating the growth of China’s services sector hopped 0.4 points over November’s 53.0, offering a dollop of encouragement amid ongoing woes in the country’s property market and manufacturing sector, South China Morning Post reported. While the latest measurement was well above the 50-point mark delineating growth and contraction, a sub-index for business expectations for the year ahead dipped to the lowest level since August, with many firms saying increasing competition was dampening their pricing power.