…Growth in China’s industrial output and retail sales came in weaker than expected, stoking fears that pockets of weakness were cropping up in the world’s second-largest economy. Industrial output in November grew 5.4% on a yearly basis, below the consensus forecast of 5.9%. Chinese retail sales rose 8.1% in November, its slowest pace since 2003 and 0.7 percentage point below consensus expectations, according to FactSet data.
“…While tariffs only exacerbate the softness, the pace of economic growth in China has been slowing irrespective of them in response to a needed slowing of excessive credit growth,” said Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer for the Bleakley Advisory Group, in a note.
The U.S. and China remain engaged in trade talks that some hope will lead to the end of the tit-for-tat tariffs between the two sides. President Donald Trump said in a tweet that Beijing was under pressure to strike a deal soon because of weaker growth. Analysts say that to arrest China’s slowdown, Beijing will also need to launch a fresh batch of fiscal stimulus measures that could undo efforts to prevent a further buildup of debt across its economy.
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