China's retail sales rose 2.1% Y/Y in August and fell from 2.7% annual rate the month before, according to data released Saturday by the country's National Bureau of Statistics.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a print of 2.5%.

On a monthly basis, retail activity ticked 0.01% higher last month from July. For the first eight months of the year, retail sales were 3.4% higher Y/Y.

China's industrial production rose 4.5% Y/Y in August, missing the consensus of analysts surveyed by Reuters of 4.8%. It rose 0.32% from July.

The data underscores slowing growth momentum in the Asian nation, which is also the world's second-largest economy.

Meanwhile, the country's August unemployment rate stood at 5.3%, up 0.1% Y/Y. For the first eight months of the year, the rate was 5.2% down 0.1 Y/Y. The consensus of analysts on Investing.com was for 5.2%.

China's fixed-asset investment rose 3.4% Y/Y from January to August, missing the 3.5% consensus on Investing.com and down from 3.6% in July.

Read the full release from the National Bureau of Statistics here.

The following are some China-focused assets of interest: