Investing.com - China’s economic growth cooled slightly in the fourth quarter of 2018, added to concerns of further cooling in the country and left 2018 growth the weakest in 28 years.
China's economy grew 6.4% in the fourth quarter of 2018 from a year earlier, as expected, official data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed. The growth was slower than the previous quarter's 6.5% growth.
Full year growth for 2018 came in at 6.6%, also in line with expectations.
Meanwhile, growth in retail sales was at 8.2% in December compared to November’s 8.1%. Industrial output grew 5.7% in December from a year earlier, beating the expectations of a 5.3% growth and last month’s 5.4%.
China’s equities rose in morning trade following the release of the data, with the Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Component gaining about 0.5%. The yuan slipped against the dollar.