China's factory output growth picks up pace in September, retail sales rise
FXI•China's industrial output grew 5.5% year over year in September, up from 5.2% in August, while retail sales rose 1.1%. Fixed-asset investment fell 7.2% in the first nine months.
1. Output and sales improve
China's industrial output expanded 5.5% in September from a year earlier, accelerating from 5.2% growth in August and matching economists' expectations. Retail sales grew 1.1%, up from 0.4% in August and above the 0.6% forecast.
2. Investment remains lower
Fixed-asset investment declined 7.2% in the first nine months, the same rate of decline as in January through August and slightly less than the 7.3% drop economists had forecast.
