The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition encouraging Chinese economic data helped lift stocks Tuesday, but the country remains difficult for investors trying to figure out the state of its economy. The Post's John Shmuel writes official data showed China's economy grew 7.3 per cent in the third quarter. That beat estimates, which boosted markets, but it was still the weakest reading since the financial crisis. "While today's report points to a further easing in the economy's momentum, some observers are likely to be pleased growth did not weaken even more," said Peter Buchanan, senior economist at CIBC World Markets. The news was particularly good for the resource-heavy S&P/TSX composite, which rallied 209.94 points to 14,547.71. China's government forecasts growth of 7.5 per cent in 2014, which would be the lowest rate in a decade. Fears that China's economy may be slowing faster than predicted have hurt commodity prices and increased market uncertainty about the country. Data this month showed that Chinese inflation is at its lowest level in five years, while new home sales and foreign investment in the country are steadily declining. Industrial production at 8 per cent beat expectations.