China's Nov factory output, retail sales miss expectations as Covid bites

China's economy has been depressed by its zero-COVID policy, as tight movement controls hampered consumption and production

China's economy lost more steam in November as factory output growth slowed and retail sales extended declines, both missing forecasts and clocking their worst readings since May, hobbled by surging COVID-19 infections and widespread virus curbs.

The data suggested a further deterioration in economic conditions as lockdowns in many cities, a persistent property-sector crunch and weakening global demand pointed to a bumpy road ahead even as Beijing looked to ditch some of the world's toughest anti-virus restrictions.
 

Industrial output rose 2.2% in November from a year earlier, missing expectations for a 3.6% gain in a Reuters poll and slowing