Manufacturing grew at a monthly rate of 3.5% and at an annual rate of 2.9%. Mining and quarrying expanded by 2.5% on the month before but shrank by 0.5% year-on-year, while electricity, gas and steam supply contracted by 0.4% at the monthly level but expanded by 16% y/y.

Figures for the first eight months of the year, released by the Statistics Office on Wednesday, show a contraction at an annual rate of 5% in mining and quarrying, and of 1% in manufacturing, as well as a growth of 12.8% in electricity, gas and steam supply.

The output of intermediate goods industries rose by 0.6% on July and by 0.1% on August 2011, the output of capital goods was up 5.3% and 4.9%, respectively, and the output of consumer goods increased by 2.1% on the month before and added 11.3% y/y.

In the first eight months of the year, output fell in intermediate goods industries by 0.8% on the same period last year, but rose in capital goods industries (1.9%) and consumer goods industries (4%).

The value of stocks was down 1.9% on July, but rose by the same percentage on August 2011. The value of stocks in the first eight months of the year was up 5.8% on the same period last year.