Eurozone industrial new orders rebound by 2.5% in April

The index also increased by 11.7% over 12 months ago following a monthly drop of 1.2% and a yearly decrease of 3.7% in March, according to revised figures from Eurostat. Excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment, industrial new orders increased by 2.2% over the previous month in the euro zone in April.

In April, new orders for textiles and textile products recorded the largest monthly growth of 5.6%. Basic metals and fabricated metal products rose by 3.2%. Manufacturing of machinery and equipment gained 2.6%, while electrical and electronic equipment rose by 2.2% and transport equipment increased slightly by 0.3%. Meanwhile, manufacturing of chemicals and chemical products decreased by 0.2%.

In the 27-nation EU, industrial new orders rose by 3.6% month on month and by 14.2% compared with the same period of 2007. Among the member states for which data were available, total manufacturing working on orders rose in 14 and fell in five. The highest monthly increase was recorded in Greece, which was 13.5%. Industrial new orders in Ireland registered the largest drop of 13.8%. The index in Germany, the biggest economy within the EU, fell for the fifth consecutive month, with new orders less by 0.7% than those in the previous month. (Xinhua)