China's Sept industrial output rises 6.9% y-o-y; retail sales up 3.3%

[BEIJING] China's industrial output in September rose 6.9 per cent from a year earlier, data showed on Monday, expanding for the sixth straight month in a boost to an economy recovering from the coronavirus shock.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected annual industrial output growth to have quickened to 5.8 per cent in September from a 5.6 per cent gain in August, as more businesses resumed production after measures to contain the spread of the virus were lifted.

China's retail sales edged up 3.3 per cent last month from a year earlier, beating analysts' forecast for 1.8 per cent growth compared with 0.5 per cent growth in August.

Fixed asset investment increased 0.8 per cent in the first nine months of the year from the same period in 2019, compared with a forecast 0.8 per cent increase and a 0.3 per cent decline in the first eight months of the year.

REUTERS