* C$ at C$1.0170 vs US$, or 98.33 U.S. cents * Germany's ZEW monthly sentiment falls short of consensus * Australia delays long-promised return to surplus * China factory output growth in April surprisingly weak * Bond prices fall across the curve By Solarina Ho TORONTO, May 14 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar ended more than half a cent weaker against its U.S. counterpart on Tuesday as markets shied away from riskier assets following disappointing news from China and Australia. China's factory output growth was surprisingly weak in April, while fixed-asset investment also slowed, rekindling concerns that a nascent recovery is stalling. Australia's struggling Labor government used the last budget before national elections to delay a long-promised return to surplus, blaming a stubbornly high Australian dollar and lower commodity prices for a dramatic fall in revenues. The commodities-linked Australian dollar fell in reaction. "It started off weak on the day and just got weaker from there. We're moving in tandem with other commodity currencies," said Camilla Sutton, chief currency strategist at Scotiabank. With little news on the domestic front to drive the market, the focus has been on broader themes, she added. "Overall we have a broadly stronger U.S. dollar and that just fits into the theme we've had over the last little bit as the market focuses on relative central bank policy and when the (Federal Reserve) will begin to taper." The Canadian dollar finished its North American session at C$1.0170 versus the greenback, or 98.33 U.S. cents. That was more than half a cent weaker than Monday's North American finish at C$1.0110, or 98.91 U.S. cents. It was the currency's weakest level in a little over two weeks and its biggest one-day move in a month. "There seems to be a little bit of risk aversion going through the market," said Matt Perrier, a director of foreign exchange sales at BMO Capital Markets. "Weaker ZEW, some dovish Aussie comments, political jitters in the UK - everything's lending a bid tone to the (U.S.) dollar." Germany's ZEW monthly sentiment survey rose to 36.4 points in May from 36.3 in April, falling short of the consensus forecast as uncertainty continues to weigh on Europe. In Britain, ruling Conservatives will unveil a draft bill that could make legally binding Prime Minister David Cameron's promise of a referendum on Britain's European Union membership. It is a political gamble that could decide Britain's geopolitical and economic destiny for decades ahead. The Canadian dollar was underperforming against most of its major counterparts. Prices of Canadian government bonds fell across the curve. The two-year bond was off 4.7 Canadian cents to yield 1.041 percent, while the benchmark 10-year bond fell 43 Canadian cents to yield 1.959 percent.