Italian industrial production rose in September, led by rising capital-goods output, but the boost was somewhat less than expected.
Industrial output in Italy rose 0.2% in September from August in seasonally-adjusted terms, national statistics institute Istat said Monday.
Capital goods production rose 0.4% in September from August while output of intermediate goods, consumer goods and energy all declined, according to Istat's data.
A 0.3% monthly rise in industrial output had been the average forecast in a poll of 14 economists.
Italy's industrial production declined 3.0% in September from the same month a year earlier in workday-adjusted terms, marking the 25th consecutive month that the annualized figure was negative, Istat said.
Italy's industrial output declined by 1.0% in the third quarter from the second quarter, Istat noted.
A preliminary estimate of Italy's gross domestic product for the third quarter will be released on Thursday. The weak industrial data suggest that GDP will mark its ninth consecutive quarterly contraction.
