--All-German Jan ind output up seasonally adj 0.9% vs Dec
--All-German Jan industrial output up workday-adj 6.9% on year
--W German Jan ind output up seasonally adj 0.9% vs Dec
--W German Jan mfg output rises seasonally adj. 2.2% vs Dec
--E German Jan industrial prod up seasonally adj 0.7% vs Dec

Frankfurt, March 9 (BridgeNews) - German industrial production rose by a seasonally-adjusted 0.9% in January versus December due to strong conditions in German manufacturing, the Finance Ministry said Friday. This was above analysts' expectations. Construction sector output however fell sharply on the month, probably affected by cold weather conditions, it said. Production in all sectors showed almost the same developments in western and eastern Germany.
* * * Analysts expected production to have stagnated in January, burdened by a fall in the construction sector, but propped up by a backlog of manufacturing orders from the previous months. Indeed, production in the All-German construction sector fell 8.2% on the month, while manufacturing output rose 2.1%.
The key western German manufacturing sector showed a 2.2% rise compared with December. Industrial production, including also building, rose 0.9%. In the east however, industrial output was rose at a slightly slower 0.7%.
In the rounded 2-month comparison of December-January with October-November, All-German production increased by 1.0%. Within this, construction output declined by 1.1% but was well outweighed by a 1.6% gain in manufacturing.
Total industrial production in western Germany expanded by 1.3% on the 2-month comparison, while output in eastern Germany fell 1.5%, the ministry said.
Comparing December-January with the same two months a year ago and adjusted only for working days, All-German industrial production was up 8.1%. In western Germany, output gained 8.2%. In the east, output expanded by 7.0%.
Germany's seasonally-adjusted production index measured 116.2 (1995=100) compared with 115.2 in December. The western German index stood at 115.6 following 114.6, while the east German index reached 122.6 following 121.8.
Western Germany's manufacturing index measured 122.0 following 119.4 in December and 118.8 in November.
January data is provisional only. The Bundesbank often makes revisions later in the month.
For table of statistics on industrial production, as provided by the Finance Ministry see story .1643. End Copyright 2001 Bridge Information Systems Inc. All rights reser