German Industrial Output Declines In March

By Agence France-Presse Industrial output in Germany fell in March, weighed down by a sharp drop in activity in the key construction sector, data published by the German Economy and Labor Ministry on May 7 showed. German industrial output declined by 2.3% in March from the figure for February, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry noted, however, that a number of companies had not yet provided their March data and the figure was therefore likely to be revised upwards later. Output in the construction sector slumped by 10.2% in March from February, the ministry calculated. Energy output also declined, falling by 2.9% month-on-month and output in the manufacturing sector fell by 1.7%. Using a two-month comparison to iron out short-term fluctuations, pan-German industrial output slipped by 1.1% in February and March combined from the figure for December and January, the ministry said. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2004