German Industrial Output Falls Again In March

Industrial output in Germany fell again in March, weighed down by declining activity in the construction sector, data published by the German Economy and Labor Ministry showed on May 9. German industrial output fell by 0.8% in March, after already declining by 2.1% in February, the ministry said in a statement.

"The main reason for the decline was a sharp drop in production in the construction sector as a result of the bad weather in March," the ministry explained. Construction output plunged by 10.8% in March and energy output was down by 4.2%. By contrast, activity in the manufacturing sector rose marginally by 0.3%.

Using a two-month comparison to iron out short-term fluctuations, pan-German industrial output fell by 1.2% in February and March combined from the figure for December and January, the ministry calculated.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2005