BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s industrial output growth slowed to a five-month low in August, while retail sales also weakened further, raising the case for bolder stimulus to shore up the world’s second-largest economy.

The sluggish data released on Saturday contrasted with the robust export growth seen in August, underscoring the uneven nature of China’s economic recovery.

Industrial output in August expanded 4.5% year-on-year, slowing from the 5.1% pace in July and marking the slowest growth since March, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Saturday.

That missed expectations for 4.8% growth in a Reuters poll of 37 analysts.

Retail sales, a key gauge of consumption, rose only 2.1% in August, decelerating from a 2.7% increase in July amid extreme weather and a summer travel peak. Analysts had expected retail sales, which have been anaemic all year, to grow 2.5%.

President Xi Jinping on Thursday urged authorities to strive to achieve the country’s annual economic and social development goals, state media reported, amid expectations more steps are needed to bolster a flagging economic recovery.

Faltering Chinese economic activity has prompted global brokerages to scale back their 2024 China growth forecasts to below the government’s official target of around 5%.

The protracted property slump has prompted Chinese consumers to cut back spending. Some experts have even proposed distributing shopping vouchers to counter the trend.

Premier Li Qiang said last month the country will focus on stimulating consumption and look at measures to boost household income.

A central bank official said last week China still has room to lower the amount of cash banks must hold as reserves while it faces some constraints in cutting interest rates.

Data from the central bank on Friday showed August new yuan loans remained soft.

Fixed asset investment rose 3.4% in the first eight months of 2024 from the same period a year earlier, compared with an expected 3.5% expansion. It grew 3.6% in the January to July period.

Cash-strapped local governments issued bonds at a quicker pace last month for construction of major projects, a move that economists believe could spur investment and offer some short-term relief for the economy.

Meanwhile, the troubled property sector remains a major drag on growth. Property investment in January-August contracted 10.2% from the previous year, unchanged from a 10.2% slide in January-July.

While Beijing has ramped up efforts to rescue the housing market, many analysts say much more aggressive steps are needed to help debt-laden developers, and encourage would-be home buyers back to the market.

Analysts at Nomura expect bolder measures to be released in the fourth quarter.

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A strike at Boeing has cast doubt on the company’s production goals for the 737 Max and raised the spectre of a cash crunch, as its chief financial officer on Friday said the company would fight to preserve its investment-grade credit rating.

Boeing’s investment-grade rating is crucial to its operations and losing it would be a serious blow, meaning the company could face a punishing increase in borrowing costs given a debt load that has swelled to $53bn. The options to keep it would likely include some kind of securities offering to shore up cash.

About 33,000 workers with the International Association of Machinists District 751 walked out at 12:01am on Friday after rejecting a tentative agreement with the company. Chief financial officer Brian West said Kelly Ortberg, the new chief executive is “personally engaged” in addressing the situation.

In June and July Boeing had been building roughly 25 Maxes a month, with plans to raise that to 38 by the end of the year. But West told investors on Friday that “now, obviously, that is going to take longer”.

“I can’t comment on 38 per month,” he said. “That rate is so dependent on the duration of the strike.”

Boeing’s share price closed down nearly 4 per cent at $156.77.

The company has slowed production of the Max this year as it tries to improve the quality of its manufacturing process. Boeing has been scrutinised by regulators, prosecutors and the flying public since January when a door panel, which was missing several bolts, blew off a commercial jet midflight. The US Federal Aviation Administration has capped the group’s production at 38 a month.

The slowdown has cost Boeing billions in free cash flow. A lengthy strike would impede the company’s ability to deliver planes to customers, further hurting its cash flow.

The credit rating agencies are closely watching Boeing’s deliveries and ability to generate cash. All three have the group rated one notch above junk, on a negative outlook. Moody’s on Friday said it had placed the company on review for a downgrade.

“Boeing’s investment-grade credit rating has limited headroom for a strike,” said Fitch Ratings analyst Dino Kritikos. “If the current strike lasts a week or two, it is unlikely to pressure the rating. However, an extended strike could have a meaningful operational and financial impact, increasing the risk of a downgrade.”

When asked if Boeing may raise debt or equity before early 2025, West said the company had two priorities: keeping its investment-grade rating and stabilising its supply chain and factory floor.

“That last objective just got harder based on last night,” he said. “So we are perfectly comfortable to supplement our liquidity position to support these two objectives.”

West said it has told suppliers which are not behind on their deliveries to stop shipping to Boeing’s factories in Renton, Washington. Supply schedules remain untouched for the group’s South Carolina plant, which builds the 787 and is not unionised.

The work stoppage is “disappointing”, West said, “because things were starting to move in the right direction”.

“We’re working every responsible lever to do what’s right to conserve cash,” he said. “Our expectation — and I don’t have any timetable — is to want to get back to the table and hammer out a deal.”

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