China Industrial Output Rises More Than Forecast

(RTTNews) - China's industrial production and retail sales increased more than expected in the January to February period, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Monday.

Industrial output increased 6.3 percent on a yearly basis, faster than the expected growth of 5.3 percent.

Similarly, retail sales advanced 2.8 percent from a year ago in the first two months of the year, following a 0.9 percent rise in December. Sales were expected to grow 2.6 percent.

At the same time, fixed asset investment climbed 1.8 percent, confounding expectations for a decline of 5.0 percent.