Retail Sales and Reuters Bloomberg

Australian dollar: The result was in line with the typical economist forecast in surveys by Reuters and Bloomberg, but the March quarter growth figure of 1.3 per cent was just a fraction below estimates, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation. However, the Australian dollar lost about a third of a cent against the greenback after the data release, as monthly retail sales and industrial production figures disappointed. Map: China China economic growth has roughly matched economist forecasts, easing from 7.3 to 7 per cent year-on-year. Industrial output was up 5.6 per cent year-on-year in March, but economists had typically expected a rise of around 7 per cent. Fixed asset investment also came in slightly below predictions at 13.5 per cent growth, year-on-year. Likewise, retail sales were up 10.2 per cent, but that below forecasts of a 10.9 per cent increase year-on-year. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.