BEIJING, May 17 (Reuters) - China's industrial output grew 6.7% on-the-year in April, accelerating from the 4.5% pace seen in March, as the recovery in the manufacturing sector gathered pace.
Official data released on Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) came above expectations for a 5.5% increase in a Reuters poll of analysts.
Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, rose 2.3% in April, slowing from a 3.1% increase in March. Analysts had expected retail sales to grow 3.8%.
Fixed asset investment expanded 4.2% in the first four months of 2024 from the same period a year earlier, versus expectations for a 4.6% rise. It grew 4.5% in first three months. (Reporting by Ellen Zhang, Albee Zhang, Joe Cash and Kevin Yao; Editing by Sam Holmes)
