Korea: Industrial output growth moderates in February
Industrial production grew 0.9% year-on-year in February (January: +7.8% yoy). The downtick was due to an unfavorable base effect, as the Lunar New Year holidays fell in February this year. Averaging over the first two months of the year suggests the industrial sector is in robust shape, spurred by foreign demand.
On a seasonally-adjusted monthly basis, industrial output rose 4.3% in February (January: -1.2% mom), the best result since June 2020. Meanwhile, the trend pointed down, with the annual average variation of industrial production coming in at minus 0.1% in February, contrasting January’s plus 0.8% reading. Meanwhile, average capacity utilization saw a significant uptick in year-on-year terms in February.