Italy's industrial output rises by 2.3 pct in August: statistics

Rome [Italy], October 12: Industrial output in Italy rose by 2.3 percent in the latest index from the Italian government's main statistical entity released on Tuesday, reversing a recent trend and outpacing inflation for that month.
The data from the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) showed the seasonally-adjusted index climbed in August compared to the previous month, though for the three-month period between June and August the index still retreated, falling by 1.2 percent compared to the March-May period.
The rise in August showed a net increase even compared to the month-on-month increment in the country's consumer price index, which rose 0.8 percent in August compared to July.
The annualized inflation rate for the month -- comparing prices in August to the year-ago period -- was 8.4 percent.
ISTAT said the industrial production index showed its biggest gains for consumer goods, which rose by 2.6 percent, and for capital goods, which gained 1.8 percent. Energy goods decreased by 2.3 percent for the month, reflecting market factors sparked by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Among specific economic sectors, increases in output for pharmaceutical preparations, computers and electronic products saw the strongest gains. The manufacture of chemical and metal products recorded the largest decrease, due to the impact of higher energy costs and related factors.
Source: Xinhua