--W German Dec industrial production up 0.8% vs Nov
--W German Dec manufacturing sector output up 0.9% vs Nov
--E German Dec industrial production down 2.1% vs Nov
--German industrial production annual rise avg 5.5% in 2000

By BridgeNews
Berlin--Feb. 8--German industrial production rose 0.7% in December in seasonally adjusted terms, exceeding market expectations and matching the increase recorded for November. Yearly output rose an average 5.5% from 1999, according to Finance Ministry data adjusted only for working days.
* * * A 0.9% increase in western Germany's manufacturing sector was "mostly" behind December's output rise, according to the ministry.
Eastern German output took a different tack in the final month of the year, declining 2.1% after strong increases in the preceding two months. German output had been expected to remain on par with November, according to a Fokus Deutschland/BridgeNews survey of economists. The survey indicated a broad range of expectations from a 1% slump to 1.5% increase with most forecasts toward the lower end.
Comparing Nov/Dec with Sep/Oct, German output rose 0.9%, which the ministry termed "a clear upward trend."
"Industrial production at the end of 2000 was on a modest expansion course," the ministry said.
On Wednesday, the ministry announced manufacturing orders in December rose 2.7% from the previous month, contrasting with a survey average prediction of a 1% decline.
In the two-month annual production comparison, output in Nov/Dec was 7.4% above the same two months in 1999, adjusted only for working days. End
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