Italian industrial production recorded a contraction of 3% in 2013. This was communicated by Istat, specifying that in December the decline was 0,9% on a quarterly basis (seasonally adjusted data), but on a year-on-year basis the figure showed a increase of 2,4%, the best result since August 2011.
Also in December, the index adjusted for calendar effects recorded a decrease of 0,7% on the year. Finally, in the fourth quarter of 2013, industrial production rose by 0,7%.
As regards the sectors of economic activity, in December 2013, the sectors that recorded the greatest tendential growth are those of the production of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations (+8,0%), of the manufacture of electrical appliances and equipment domestic non-electrical (+7,5%) and metallurgy and manufacturing of metal products, excluding machinery and equipment (+7,4%).
The greatest decreases are recorded in the sectors of the manufacturing of machinery and equipment nec (-9,9%), of the textile, clothing, leather and accessories industries (-6,9%) and of the manufacturing of computers, electronic and optical products, electromedical devices, measuring devices and watches (-6,5%).
