China's Economic Growth Slows Down in November

China's economic slowdown deepened in November, with retail sales, industrial production, and fixed asset investment missing expectations. Retail sales rose 1.3% from a year earlier, sharply below the 2.8% forecast, while industrial production climbed 4.8%, missing the 5% expected jump. Fixed asset investment contracted 2.6% in the January-November period, deepening from the 1.7% drop in the first 10 months of this year. The urban unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.1%, while youth unemployment stood at 17.3% in October. Real estate investment sank 15.9% in the first 11 months, while home price declines worsened across 70 major cities. Economists expect more policy support to drive domestic demand and boost consumption and investment in 2026, with the government pledging to issue ultra-long-term special government bonds to fund projects bolstering national security and consumer goods trade-in programs.