German industrial production jumped unexpectedly in January, propelled by increased activity in the manufacturing and construction sectors, the economy ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry calculated that factory output -- a key yardstick for gauging the health of Europe's biggest economy -- leapt by 3.3 percent in January compared with a month earlier, corrected for seasonal factors.
Analysts had been projecting in a much more modest increase of just 0.4 percent in January following a contraction of 0.3 percent in December.
Manufacturing output was up by 3.2 percent month-on-month and construction output jumped by 7.0 percent, while energy output edged up by just 0.1 percent, the ministry said.
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