China's retail and factory growth slides as August numbers miss forecasts

Economic indicators from China revealed a disappointing performance in August, as manufacturing output and consumer spending failed to meet analyst expectations. The National Bureau of Statistics reported manufacturing activity expanded by 5.2 percent compared with the previous year. This growth rate represents the weakest expansion recorded since August of the prior year. Consumer retail activity increased by 3.4 percent annually during the same period. These figures mark the most sluggish retail performance since November and demonstrate persistent weakness within the global economy's second-largest market.