Factory output drags on euro zone's economy

BRUSSELS — Eurozone factory output continued its steep fall in autumn this year, underscoring the feeble domestic demand that risks prolonging the bloc’s recession. Industrial production in the 17 countries sharing the euro fell 1.4% in October after falling sharply in September, the EU’s statistics office Eurostat said on Wednesday. That was much worse than the modest growth expected by economists in a Reuters poll.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Output at factories in the euro zone unexpectedly fell in March, the latest in a series of disappointing numbers signaling that the bloc's recession may not be as mild as policymakers hope. Industrial production in the 17 countries sharing the euro fell 0.3 percent in March from February, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Monday. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 0.4 percent increase in the month. ...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Output at euro zone factories grew much more than expected in August, helped by summer demand for food and French car production, but industry's apparent resilience is unlikely to be enough to avoid a recession in the indebted region this year. Industrial production in the 17 countries sharing the euro rose 0.6 percent in August from July, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Friday, beating expectations of a 0.4 percent fall forecast by economists in a Reuters poll. ...

The Markit/CIPS Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to a 15-month high of 51.4 in December from an upwardly revised 49.2 in November – a far stronger increase than any predicted in a Reuters poll of 24 economists.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone inflation eased by more than expected to its lowest level in more than a year in May, giving the European Central Bank a little more room to lower interest rates to help revive economic growth across the continent. Consumer price inflation in the 17 nations sharing the euro fell to 2.4 percent year-on-year in May from 2.6 percent in April, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast inflation of 2.5 percent. ...

BRUSSELS (Reu

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone factory prices barely rose in October, echoing the slowing pace in consumer inflation, although the European Central Bank is expected to wait a little longer before cutting interest rates to help the slumping economy. Prices at factory gates in the 17 countries using the euro rose 0.1 percent in October from September, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Tuesday, just above the 0.0 percent level expected by economists polled by Reuters. The producer price index was up 2.6 percent in October compared to the same month a year ago. ...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone joblessness in March and April rose to the highest level since the EU began tracking unemployment data for the currency area, highlighting the devastating impact of the bloc's debt crisis. Around 17.4 million people were out of work in the 17-nation euro zone in April, or 11 percent of the working population, the highest level since records began in 1995, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Friday. The level was the same as March, as Eurostat revised upwards its earlier reading of 10.9 percent for the month. ...