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Industrial production on the rise

June 12, 2014

The eurozone logged a rise in industrial production in April after a discouraging stumble the month before. Experts viewed the positive data as a sign that European industry was recovering from years of economic crisis.

https://p.dw.com/p/1CHJ8
A German welder
Image: imago/Caro

Industrial production in the eurozone rebounded by 0.8 percent in April, buoyed by higher output of non-durable consumer goods and energy, the European Union's statistical office, Eurostat, said Thursday.

The upswing came a month after a 0.4 percent drop that had stoked doubts about the bloc's fragile recovery, especially in weaker member states.

Italy and Spain both registered a rise in industrial production but France's output remained flat, increasing by a meager 0.1 percent over March, the statistic office said.

"April's rise in eurozone industrial production suggests that industry is strengthening after a weak start to the year," said James Howat of Capital Economics.

Production of non-durables, or goods that expire within three months, was up 2.1 percent. Energy production also rose 2.5 percent.

On the year, French production dropped 1.8 percent and the country "probably remains the eurozone's biggest problem," said ING Bank's Carsten Brzeski.

Growth in the eurozone was up 1.4 percent on a yearly basis and in Germany it rose 1.7 percent.

cjc/rs (AFP, dpa)