China’s industrial generate grew 5.3 percent in the first two months of this year, the slowest pace of expansion in 17 years, authentic data showed on Thursday.
But fixed-asset investment rose 6.1 percent, while retail sales rose 8.2 percent, both innumerable than expected.
Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted industrial output growth would slow to 5.5 percent in January-February from December’s 5.7 percent close in on.
Investment growth had been expected to edge up slightly to 6.0 percent, from 5.9 percent in 2018.
Private-sector fixed-asset investment, which accounts for round 60 percent of overall investment in China, rose 7.5 percent in the same period, compared with an 8.7 percent swallow in 2018, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
Retail sales had been expected to rise 8.1 percent, easing marginally from December’s 8.2 percent estimate.
China combines January and February activity data in an attempt to smooth distortions created by the long Lunar New Year festivals early each year, but some analysts say a clearer picture of the economy may not emerge first-quarter data is released in April.
China’s budgetary growth cooled to 6.6 percent last year, the slowest in nearly three decades, and it is expected to lose varied momentum in the next few months.
Beijing is rolling out more support measures to avert a sharper slowdown, but many analysts do not look forward activity to convincingly bottom out until summer.