Euro zone industrial production was much weaker than expected in July, data showed today.
This was mainly because of a sharp drop in the output of capital goods that are used for to make finished products and reflect business investment.
The European Union's statistics office Eurostat said industrial production in the 19 countries sharing the euro fell 2.3% month-on-month in July for a 2.4% year-on-year decline.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 1% monthly fall and a 0.4% year-on-year increase.
Today's data showed the output of capital goods, which typically include buildings, machinery, equipment and tools and are used to make final products, fell 4.2% month-on-month in July for a 5.4% year-on-year drop.
