China Stimulus Decision Looms as Investment Slows

China’s weakest start to a year for investment growth since 2001 and unexpectedly slow industrial production add pressure for economic stimulus, just as Premier Li Keqiang signals he wants to avoid such a move.

Li, at his annual press briefing in Beijing yesterday, indicated he’s confident that economic goals for 2014 are within reach. Two hours later, data showed factory output rose in January and February from a year earlier by the least since the global financial crisis, while retail sales grew at the slowest rate for the period since 2004.