BRUSSELS, Nov 15 Reuters Euro zone industrial production declined broadly in line with expectations in September, wiping out a rise in August as output of consumer goods dropped sharply in the month.

The European Union39;s statistics office Eurostat said on Wednesday that industrial production in the 20 countries sharing the euro fell by 1.1 monthonmonth in September for a 6.9 yearonyear decline.

The latter was the steepest drop since June 2020, at the height of the COVID19 pandemic.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected declines of 1.0 monthonmonth and 6.3 from a year earlier.

The monthonmonth fall was chiefly the result of 2.1 decline of durable and nondurable consumer goods, along with a 1.3 drop of energy output.

Production of intermediate goods, such as steel or wood, declined by 0.3, while output of capital goods, such as machinery, rose by 0.3.

Eurostat also published data on euro zone trade, showing that the bloc achieved a 10 billion euro surplus in September, against a 36.6 billion euro deficit a year earlier, when EU countries were forced to pay far higher prices for energy.

Adjusted for seasonal swings, the euro zone recorded a trade surplus for the fifth consecutive month of 9.2 billion euros against 11.1 billion euros in August.

Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, editing by Bart Meijer

Source Reuters