China’s baby-boom mirage

Is a baby boom the answer to China’s growth slowdown? Recent speculation that Beijing is poised to end its one-child policy raises the tantalizing prospect of a surge in population and workers.

A policy change looks timely: Last year, China’s working-age population peaked, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Investment banks have been quick to upgrade their baby forecasts. Bank of America penciled in an extra 9.5 million births due to an end to the one-child policy, while Deutsche Bank came up with an extra 1.6 million babies a year between 2014-18…

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-baby-boom-mirage-2013-08-11?mod=wsj_share_tweet