China’s producer prices declined for a 16th month in January, while consumer prices slipped for a fourth month. The data underscore the depth of the challenge that Beijing faces in reflating the world’s second-largest economy. China’s producer price index fell 2.5% in January from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics reported Thursday, slightly better than expectations for a 2.6% decline, after a 2.7% drop in December. The country’s consumer price index fell 0.8% in January on an annual basis, more than the median estimate for a 0.5% decline in a Reuters poll. CPI slipped 0.3% in December. Thursday’s ... (full story)