Banks can tell us a lot about what is going on in an economy. They are, after all, at the front end of everything that goes on. When an economy is performing strongly, banks can make exceptional profits. But when an economy is on the ropes, banks can get badly hit. A raft of Chinese banks are set to announce results that could provide a useful insight into how the country is doing. They include Bank of China (SEHK: 3988) and China Construction Bank (SEHK: 939) that report on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Bank of Communication (SEHK: 3328) has already provided a clue of the shape of things to come. It posted its first fall in first-half profit since its listing more than a decade ago in 2007. On the economic front, the US trade deficit could widen to US$75 billion in July. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate could dip below 10% for the first time in four months. It dropped to 10.2% in July as many businesses continued to reopen and rehire following COVID-19 lockdowns....