George Mussalli was quoted in Mike Bird and Lucy Craymer’s article “China Says Growth Is Fine. Private Data Show a Sharper Slowdown,” published by The Wall Street Journal.

George Mussalli, who oversees research and investments at Boston-based PanAgora Asset Management Inc., said one metric he monitors yearly is a ‘Spring Festival Index’ produced by Chinese web-search giant Baidu Inc. PanAgora is a quantitative investment fund that uses data, mathematical and computer models to develop trading strategies. Baidu’s index is compiled from the number of people who use its search engine to find information about travel and transportation options around the weeklong festival, which coincides with Lunar New Year. During that period, millions of workers embark on long commutes from big industrial cities to rural areas in central China to spend the holiday with their families.