Brussels/Frankfurt/Paris, May 13, (dpa-AFX/GNA) - Eurozone industrial production declined at a slower-than-expected pace in March, data from Eurostat showed on Friday.
Industrial output fell 1.8% month-on-month in March, reversing a 0.5% increase in February, which was revised down from a 0.7% rise estimated initially. Economists had forecast a 2.0% decline.
Production in the capital goods sector declined the most by 2.7% month-on-month in March and that of non-durable consumer goods fell 2.3%.
The intermediate goods sector registered a 2.0% decline in output, while production in the durable consumer goods segment showed an increase of 0.8%.
On a yearly basis, industrial production dropped 0.8% in March, in contrast to the 1.7% rebound in the previous month. The expected rate of decrease was 1.0%.
The 1.7% increase for February was revised down from +2.0%.
Industrial production in the EU27 contracted 1.2% monthly, while it grew 0.7% from a year ago in March.
GNA