--UK Jan manufacturing output down 0.9% on mo, up 1.5% on yr
--UK Jan industry output unchanged on mo, up 1.1% on yr
--UK Jan manufacturing output far below expectations
--ONS: Jan mfg fall due to fall in optical networks, mobile sector
--ONS: UK opticals, mobile fall cuts Jan mfg by 1.25 pct pts
--ONS: UK Jan mfg output up 0.35% on mo ex opticals, mobiles
--ONS: UK Jan optical networks, mobiles output dn 29% on mo
--ONS: UK Jan opticals, mobiles fell from record high in Dec
--ONS: UK opticals, mobiles high Dec, low Jan may be end-yr effect
--ONS: UK Nov-Jan opticals, mobiles up 1.6% vs Aug-Oct
--UK Jan mfg fall biggest monthly drop since Aug 1997
--UK Nov-Jan industry output -0.6% vs Aug-Oct; +0.8% on yr
--UK Nov-Jan manufacturing output +0.2% vs Aug-Oct; +1.5% on yr
--UK Jan mining, quarrying output +0.8% on mo, -6.7% on yr
--UK Jan utilities output +7.0% on mo, +5.0% on yr
--ONS: UK mfg yrly trend estimate now +1.5% vs prev +2.0%
--ONS: UK industry yrly trend estimate now miuns 0.5% vs prev flat

By BridgeNews
London--March 9--U.K. manufacturing output unexpectedly fell in January from December by 0.9%, the biggest monthly fall in over three years. However, National Statistics said that the fall was entirely due to a 29% drop in the output in the optical networking and mobile phones sector. Without that fall, which cut 1.25 percentage points off the monthly rate, output in the manufacturing sector was up 0.35%. Manufacturing output rose a yearly 1.5%.
Analysts had expected a 0.2% rise in manufacturing on the month and a 2.4% rise on the year.
* * * Industrial production was unchanged from December and up 1.1% on the year, weaker than the 0.4% monthly rise and 1.3% annual rise that analysts had expected.
The ONS said that the fall in the optical networking and mobile phones sector had come from a record level of output in December. The ONS said that the swing in output may have been due to an end-year effect since many of the firms in this sector had been stepping up production to make deliveries before the year end. "They made a special effort to get sales through," an ONS statistician said.