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China’s industrial output, retail sales growth beat expectations in January-February

By Thomson Reuters Mar 15, 2026 | 9:02 PM

BEIJING, March 16 (Reuters) – China’s industrial output grew 6.3% ​in January-February from ‌the same period a year earlier, accelerating from the 5.2% ‌pace ​in December, ⁠official data showed ⁠on Monday.

The data released by the National Bureau of ​Statistics (NBS) beat expectations for a 5.0% ⁠increase ⁠in a Reuters ​poll.

Retail sales, a gauge ​of consumption, rose 2.8% ‌in the first two months, compared with a ⁠0.9% increase in December. Analysts had expected growth of ⁠2.5%.

Fixed ‌asset investment ⁠unexpectedly expanded 1.8% ​versus ‌an expected 2.1% ​drop. ⁠It fell 3.8% in 2025.

(Reporting by Ethan Wang and Kevin YaoEditing by Shri ​Navaratnam)