German industrial production slumped in November
Berlin - German industrial production slumped 3.1 per cent in November, the Ministry for Economics and Technology said, as a prolonged recession loomed over Europe's biggest economy.
The seasonally adjusted monthly fall in output in November followed a revised 1.8-per-cent drop in October.
Analysts had predicted that production would fall by 2 per cent in November.
The latest output data came amid signs that an economic downturn was taking hold in the nation, with figures released this week showing a sharp drop in both German exports and factory orders.
German unemployment posted its first increase in nearly three years in December, the country's labour office said Wednesday.
However, a drop in inflation led to a bigger-than-forecast 0.7- per-cent gain in German retail sales in November, data released Friday by the statistics office showed. (dpa)