China says retail sales grew 17.7% in April, missing expectations

A worker uses a thermometer to check the temperature of a customer as she enters a Starbucks shop as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Beijing, China January 30, 2020.

A worker uses a thermometer to check the temperature of a customer as she enters a Starbucks shop as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Beijing, China January 30, 2020.

BEIJING — China said Monday that consumer spending grew at a slower-than-expected pace in April.

Retail sales rose 17.7% last month from a year ago, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday. That missed expectations of 24.9% growth in April, according to analysts polled by Reuters.

April's retail sales figure also marked a slowdown from 34.2% year-on-year growth in March.

Industrial output rose 9.8% in April, matching Reuters' expectations.

Fixed asset investment for the first four months of the year rose 19.9%, slightly above the 19% figure predicted by a Reuters poll.

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