China’s economy shows signs of slowdown as retail sales and industrial output growth hit lowest rate in nine months. Retail sales rose 3.4% YoY in August, falling short of forecasts of 3.9% and July’s 3.7% gain. Industrial output grew 5.2% last month, slowing from 5.7% in July. Both figures were the slowest pace since November 2024. Fixed asset investment growth slowed to 0.5% year-to-date, less than the 1.4% forecast. U.S. trade tensions and domestic weaknesses contribute to mounting pressure on China’s economy.