Government data show that industrial production in Germany fell by a sharper than expected 2.7% on the month in September - adding to signs that growth is sagging in Europe's biggest economy. Economists had expected a smaller drop of 0.9%.
However, the Economy Ministry said the drop was exaggerated by the effect of public holidays and the previous month's figure was revised upward. It now says production dipped by 0.4% in August rather than the 1% initially reported.
Over the whole of the third quarter, industrial production rose 1.7% compared with the previous three months. The production figures come after the Economy Ministry said on Friday that industrial orders fell 4.3% in September.
