Improve the industrial production in April: this was communicated by Istat, which specifies that the seasonally adjusted production index increased by 0,5% in the fourth month of the year compared to March. On average for the February-April 2016 quarter, production grew by 0,4% compared to the previous quarter.
But above all, adjusted for calendar effects, the index is in April increased in trend terms by 1,8% (working days were 20 against 21 in April 2015). On average for the first four months of the year, production increased by 1,6% compared to the same period of the previous year. The seasonally adjusted monthly index shows positive cyclical variations in the sectors of intermediate goods (+2,2%) and consumer goods (+1,1%); on the other hand, energy (-1,5%) and capital goods (-0,1%) decreased.
Unexpected leap also for industrial production in Francealways in April. According to official data, the increase compared to March was 1,2%, while analysts estimated a contained growth of 0,2%. On this occasion, the negative figure for March was revised downwards: industrial production had decreased by 0,4% and not by 0,3% as previously announced.
The data also came out in Germany, where industry also returns to growth in April, after two months of decline. According to seasonally adjusted data published by the Federal Statistical Office Destatis, industrial production increased by 0,8% compared to March and by 1,2% year on year. The data are better than analysts' expectations. In March, industrial production had recorded a drop of 1,1%, data revised by Destatis from the previous -1,3 percent.
