The pace of China’s economic expansion unexpectedly cooled further last month after a lackluster July, as factory output, investment and retail sales all slowed. Key Points Industrial output rose 6.0 percent from a year earlier in August, versus a median projection of 6.6 percent and July’s 6.4 percent. That’s the slowest pace this year Retail sales expanded 10.1 percent from a year earlier, versus a projection of 10.5 percent and 10.4 percent in July, also the slowest reading in 2017 Fixed-asset investment in urban areas rose 7.8 percent in the first eight months of the year over the same period in 2016, compared with a forecast 8.2 percent rise. That’s the slowest since 1999 Big Picture The continued cooling of the world’s second-largest economy suggests that efforts to rein in credit expansion and reduce excess capacity are hitting home ahead of the key 19th Party Congress in October. Still, […]