BEIJING, Aug 15 (Reuters) - China's factory output rose 5.1% from a year earlier in July but slowed from the 5.3% pace in June, reflecting languid domestic demand that could prompt more policy support to bolster the country's patchy economic recovery.
The official data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday missed expectations for a 5.2% increase in a Reuters poll of 42 analysts.
However, retail sales, a gauge of consumption, rose 2.7% in July, quickening from a 2.0% increase in June. Analysts had expected retail sales to grow 2.6%.
Fixed asset investment expanded 3.6% in the first seven months of 2024 from the same period a year earlier, compared with the forecast for a 3.9% rise. It grew 3.9% in the January to June period. (Reporting by Liz Lee, Kevin Yao and Joe Cash; Editing by Sam Holmes)
