China's July factory output, retail sales growth miss forecasts

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Reuters) - China's industrial output grew 5.7% year-on-year in July, slowing from the 6.8% rise in June and missing forecasts, while retail sales also grew at a slower clip, official data showed on Friday.

The data on industrial production, released by the National Bureau of Statistics, compared with expectations for a 5.9% increase in a Reuters poll of 40 analysts.

Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, expanded 3.7% in July, slowing from a 4.8% rise in the previous month and missing forecasts of 4.6% growth.

Fixed asset investment grew 1.6% in the first seven months of the year from the same period last year, compared with an expected 2.7% rise. It had expanded 2.8% in the first half.