Several key economic indicators for the first two months of 2014 came in much weaker than expected, heightening fears of a slowdown in China, Reuters reported. Industrial output rose 8.6% from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said, missing market expectations for a 9.5% rise and the worst performance in more than two years. Growth in retail sales was the slowest in three years, up 11.8% in January and February compared to the year-ago period. Analysts had expected a rise of 13.5%. Fixed-asset investment fared even worse. It was up 17.9% in the first two months from the same period last year, a low level unseen in 11 years.
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