HONG KONG — Hopes dimmed for an imminent pickup in China, the world’s growth engine, as a batch of disappointing economic data released Thursday showed industrial production and retail sales falling well short of expectations in July.

Industrial output, a major measure of how healthy the Chinese manufacturing sector is, grew 9.2 percent from a year earlier, far below the 9.8 percent that analysts polled by Reuters had expected. The figure also marked a slowdown from the 9.5 percent seen in June.

Retail sales, which give an indication of domestic demand, grew 13.1 percent in July. Economists had expected the figure to remain at the 13.7 percent level recorded in June.

Finally, investment in fixed assets — items like equipment and property that are expected to be held for long periods of time and cannot easily be converted to cash — expanded 20.4 percent in the first seven months of the year, about the same as in the January-June period, frustrating hopes for a more marked pickup that could help lift the overall economy.