Slumping Hong Kong Economy Takes Another Protest Blow

Explore what’s moving the global economy in the new season of the Stephanomics podcast. Subscribe via Apple Podcast, Spotify or Pocket Cast.

If September brought a glimmer of hope that Hong Kong’s battered economy was stabilizing, early data from last month offer a reality check. A purchasing managers’ index slumped to a fresh record low, while small-business confidence and property transactions also edged down. More pain may be in store: Unrest this week has become so severe that a top police official on Tuesday warned that Hong Kong’s society “has been pushed to the brink of a total breakdown.”