French industrial output rebounds sharply in August

French industrial production rebounded sharply in August. It came in above consensus expectations, according to French statistical office INSEE. Industrial output rose 2.1 percent sequentially in the month following a decline of 0.5 percent in July. This was the most rapid growth seen in industrial production since December 2014, when it grew 3.7 percent.

Similarly, manufacturing output rebounded sharply as well, growing 2.2 percent in August after falling 0.2 percent in July. In the past three months, output in manufacturing industry has dropped slightly. Mining and quarrying output in the past three months have contracted sharply.

On the contrary, manufacturing output expanded in machinery and equipment goods by 0.5 percent. Output stayed stable in “other manufacturing”. Meanwhile, construction output dropped 2.6 percent sequentially in August after growing 3.4 percent in July.

Industrial output for the three months to August fell 0.5 percent from the prior three months. On a year-on-year basis, industrial production in the three months to August dropped 0.3 percent. Manufacturing output remained stable as compared to the same months of 2015.

Over the year, output has contracted in the manufacture of food products and beverages. It dropped noticeably in mining and quarrying, energy, water supply and manufacture of machinery and equipment goods. On the contrary, manufacturing of transport equipment rose sharply in year-on-year terms.