Belgium: Industrial production growth rebounds in March
Industrial production rebounded from a revised 1.9% month-on-month contraction (previously reported: -1.6% month-on-month) in February to a 2.0% rise in March, on the back of improvements across nearly all components of the index. Mining and quarrying output recorded the largest month-on-month gain, followed by solid growth in manufacturing output. The expansion was partly offset by the water collection, treatment and supply sector, which posted a notable month-on-month drop in output, weighing down on the headline figure.
In annual terms, industrial production dropped 0.4% in March, slightly above the revised 0.3% contraction (previously reported: +0.1% year-on-year) recorded in February. Lastly, annual average growth in industrial production moderated from 2.8% in February to 2.3% in March.