Industrial output in Italy fell 0.5%
from February to March, the first drop after a string of rises,
Istat said Friday.
Year-on-year output was also down for the first time in
four months, by 0.4%.
The year-on-year fall was linked to lower power consumption
because summer came early this year, Istat said.
The drop disappointed analysts, who had been expecting
another rise.
Output is a key gauge of how strong the recovery from
Italy's longest postwar recession will be.
The recession officially ended in the last half of last
year but this has yet to feed into the real economy, boosting
demand and turnover.
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