China's industrial output slows in July, retail sales miss forecasts

BEIJING: China's industrial output growth slowed while retail sales grew less than expected in July, highlighting strains on the economy from weak domestic demand, extreme weather disruptions and the waning effect of state policies aimed at boosting consumption.The downbeat readings followed second-quarter growth that cooled to a three-and-a-half-year low, reinforcing concerns that the economy is still struggling for momentum heading into the second half of the year.Industrial output in July rose 4.5 per cent from a year earlier, slowing from 5.3 per cent growth in June, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday.It missed expectations for a 4.8 per cent rise in a Reuters poll of 26 analysts. Factory output was likely hampered by unusually active extreme weather la