Data published by INSEE showed that industrial production increased by 0.5% in November, offsetting the October drop (-0.3%). Economists had expected production to grow by 0.1%. Meanwhile, manufacturing output rose by 0.3% after rising by 0.2% in October.
INSEE said that output accelerated in the manufacture of machinery and equipment goods (+2.8% after +0.7%). It bounced back in mining and quarrying, energy, water supply (+1.8% after ‑2.7%). On the contrary, it decreased in the manufacture of transport equipment (-0.8% after +2.5%): it fell back sharply in the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (‑5.5% after +9.0%) but bounced back in the manufacture of “other transport equipment” (+2.8% after ‑1.8%). It was down in the manufacture of food products and beverages (-0.8% after +0.1%) and in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum (‑0.6% after ‑4.2%).
Over the past three months (through November), industrial production increased by 0.8% per annum, while manufacturing production fell by 0.3% per annum. Output expanded markedly in mining and quarrying, energy, water supply (+7.4%), in the manufacture of transport equipment (+6.0%) and in the manufacture of machinery and equipment goods (+3.2%). It increased strongly in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum (+33.7%). On the contrary, output declined in the “other manufacturing” industries (‑1.8%) and in the manufacture of food products and beverages (‑4.2%).