A leading economic index for China fell for the first time since 2008, The Conference Board, a New York-based research organization, said on its website today. The measure declined 0.5 percent to 154.3 in December from November, according to the statement. It’s “too early to tell” if the world’s second-biggest economy will have an economic slowdown, Jing Sima, an economist for The Conference Board, said. “While the construction and consumer sectors are weakening, growth in the industrial sector remains strong.” The world’s fastest-growing major economy expanded 9.8 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier. The threat of asset bubbles and accelerating inflation have prompted the government to raise interest rates and crack down on property speculation in cities including Beijing. While The Conference Board only began publishing the index last year, it has plotted the data series back to 1986. To contact the reporter on this story: Sophie Leung in Hong Kong at sleung59@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Panckhurst at ppanckhurst@bloomberg.net

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