Login Statistics in Focus. Rapid growth of consumer durables production continues Extract from Monthly Panorama of European Business.

Abstract

Since the start of 1999 the fastest growing sector of the European industrial economy has been consumer durable goods (see figure 1). The latest growth rates (one month compared to the previous month) of the main industrial groupings within the EU ¡n April 2000 were (with corresponding EUR­11 data in brackets): intermediate goods, 0.4% (0.0%); capital goods 0.8% (1.2%); consumer durables 1.0% (1.3%); consumer non­durables 1.1% (1.1%). The index of production for total industry in the EU continued to follow an upward trend evident since early 1999. Production rose by 0.6% in April 2000 on the basis of a comparison with data from the previous month. The eurozone aggregate also followed a similar pattern of development, with the latest month on month growth rate equal to 0.7% (again in April 2000).