China's factory output rises 5.7pc in March, retail sales growth slips to 1.7pc

China's industrial output rose 5.7 percent in March from a year earlier, slowing from 6.3 percent growth in January-February, as the fallout from the Iran war dampened momentum in the world's second-largest economy.

The output data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) beat expectations for a 5.5 percent rise in a Reuters poll of 36 analysts.

Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, grew 1.7 percent in March, down from the 2.8 percent growth in January-February. Analysts had forecast a 2.3 percent rise.

Fixed asset investment expanded 1.7 percent in the first quarter, versus expectations for 1.9 percent growth. It increased 1.8 percent in the first two months.

Reuters