United Kingdom: Decline in industrial activity softens in March
Industrial output slid 0.2% month-on-month in seasonally-adjusted terms in March (February: -0.3% mom). March’s smaller contraction was largely due to a rebound in mining and quarrying output, which partially offset declines in manufacturing and utilities output.
On an annual basis, factory output grew 0.7% in March, which was below February’s 2.1% expansion. Accordingly, the trend pointed down, with the annual average growth of industrial production coming in at 6.8%, down from February’s 7.0%.