Industrial Output Falls 2.5% in January

Output of Hungary's industrial sector fell 2.5% year-on-year in January, a detailed reading of data released by the Central Statistical Office (KSH) shows. Compared to the previous month, output was up 1.5%

Output edged 0.3% higher when adjusted for the number of workdays.

The detailed data show output of the automotive industry, Hungary's biggest manufacturing sector, inched down 0.2%. The segment accounted for 26% of manufacturing output during the month.

Output of the computer, electronics and optical equipment segment, accounting for 14% of manufacturing, climbed 17.4%, boosted by production of computers and peripherals.

Output of the food, drinks and tobacco segment, generating 13% of the sector's output, slipped 5.3%.

Output of the electrical equipment segment, which made up 10% of manufacturing output, increased 10.4%.

In a month-on-month comparison, output rose a seasonally- and workday-adjusted 1.5%.

Export sales volume edged up 0.5% and domestic sales fell 2.8%.

Order stock of manufacturing sector branches that KSH tracks was up 22% at the end of January from twelve months earlier. New order volume rose 5.2% as new domestic orders slipped 7.8% but new export orders climbed 7.2%.