Industrial output in January and February beat expectations, rising by 6.3 per cent on the same period a year ago ReutersA raft of upbeat data backs the optimists’ take on China’s economy: positive numbers spell stable growth despite concerns about sustainability. Industrial output in January and February rose by 6.3 per cent on the same period a year ago, just beating analysts’ predictions, and fixed-asset investment climbed 8.9 per cent in the first two months, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Real estate investment surprised with an 8.9 per cent rise over the same period despite Beijing’s efforts to cool the property market, but retail sales growth of 9.5 per cent was the slowest expansion for almost two years. Sheng Laiyun, spokesman for the statistics bureau, told reporters that there was “no problem with consumption in China” and said that the sales dip was…

Source: The Times March 14, 2017 08:48 UTC