Expectations of new cooling measures rise

Expectations are rising that Chinese authorities will have to take additional measures to cool the economy, after the Securities Times said Thursday that growth accelerated sharply in the second quarter. The Shenzhen-based newspaper reported that China's gross domestic product had expanded 10.9%, citing unnamed officials. Officials at the National Bureau of Statistics expressed surprise at the article's publication, saying they hadn't finalized the second-quarter GDP figures, which are scheduled to be officially published next Tuesday. Economists are predicting the final data will show GDP rising 10.4% from a year earlier, according to a Dow Jones Newswires poll.