In August, the Istat index on industrial production fell by 0,3% compared to July and by 4,6% on an annual basis. In the June-August average, the index recorded a decrease of 0,5% compared to the previous quarter. In the first eight months of the year, however, production fell by 4,0% compared to the same period in 2012.
Istat also specifies that the indexes corrected for calendar effects show significant decreases in the energy (-9,7%) and capital goods (-7,4%) sectors. The grouping of consumer goods shows a more contained decline (-2,1%), while intermediate goods show no change.
As regards the sectors of economic activity, in August 2013 the sectors that recorded the most marked growth trend are those of the manufacture of means of transport (+13,1%), of the manufacture of computers, electronic and optical products, electromedical equipment , measuring devices and watches (+12,4%) and the textile, clothing, leather and accessories industries (+10,5%).
The most marked decreases are recorded for the sectors of the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products (-12,0%), the supply of electricity, gas, steam and air (-8,9%) and the manufacture of machinery and equipment nec (-8,8%).
