China’s factory gate prices rose at the fastest pace in 26 years in October, but producers have had no way to cover their costs with consumer demand remaining weak. Factory gate prices refer to the cost at which wholesalers purchase materials from producers, not considering transport and distribution fees. The producer price index (PPI) has soared 13.5 percent since October 2020, outpacing September’s 10.7 percent increase, according to a Nov. 10 statement from China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). It has been the most significant increase since 1995, and faster than the 12.4 percent forecast by analysts polled by Reuters.  China’s consumer price index (CPI) has increased by 1.5 percent since October last year, up from September’s 0.7 percent increase, according to NBS data. Again, it surpassed the 1.4 percent increase predicted by the Reuters poll.  The rate discrepancy between the country’s PPI and CPI widened to 12 percentage points for October—the widest gap …