France: Industrial activity dips in March
Industrial output dropped 0.3% in month-on-month seasonally adjusted terms in March, which contrasted February’s 0.2% increase. The reading was largely due to a deterioration in manufacturing output. In addition, mining and quarrying output lost steam.
On an annual basis, factory output rebounded, rising 0.7% in March (February: -0.6% yoy). Accordingly, annual average industrial production growth rose to 0.7% in March (February: +0.6%). This signals an improving trend in the industrial sector.