China's main stock index fell for a fifth straight day on Thursday, to a fresh 19-month closing low, after data on industrial production and money supply appeared to confirm that the economy was slowing.
The Shanghai Composite Index ended down 0.38 per cent at 2,437.082 points, off an intra-day low of 2,409.010. Turnover in Shanghai A shares shrank to 27.6 billion yuan ($4.0 billion), its lowest level since November 2006, from Wednesday's 35.2 billion yuan.
The government said on Thursday that annual factory output growth slowed to 14.7 per cent in July, a 19-month low and down from 16.0 per cent in June, as manufacturers struggled with weakening export demand and rising input costs.
The market had expected July growth of 15.9 per cent.
"The figure will intensify the market's worry about an economic slowdown," said Lu Zhenwei, chief economist at Industrial Bank in Shanghai. "Although exports still seem strong in value terms, I think that's a bit exaggerated. Export growth is still trending down, which is affecting industrial output."
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