Retail sales in China beat expectations in November, adding to the pressure on policymakers as they try to restore confidence in the world’s second-largest economy.
Retail sales rose 3 percent, below analysts’ forecasts of 4.6 percent and October’s 4.8 percent rise. Industrial production rose 5.4 percent in November, slightly above expectations.
The data comes days after China held its annual Central Economic Work Conference, where party leaders called for “robust” efforts to boost spending.
In the real estate sector, where the slowdown posed a major challenge to policymakers, new home prices continued to fall, albeit at a slower pace than in previous months. Investments in real estate have fallen by 10.4 percent so far this year.
