German industry grows in January but car output remains weak

Industrial output in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, rose more than expected in January, raising hopes that the economy is finally bottoming out after a lengthy manufacturing recession. Output rose in January by 1.0% from the previous month, beating a 0.6% forecast by analysts, data from Destatis, the federal statistics office showed on Friday.

But output was far from rebounding and Destatis even revised some earlier figures, indicating that industry continues to struggle.

Among its revisions, output is now estimated to have decreased by 2.0% in December from the previous month after preliminary figures showed a 1.6% decline.

The three-month rolling average showed a 1.5% decline compared to the previous three months, Destatis added.

Still, some economists found hope in the figures, especially after earlier data showed a surge in exports.

"What we take from the first batch of hard data for the German economy in 2024 is the picture of an economy that is bottoming out but still stuck between cyclical and structural weakness," ING economist Carsten Brzeski said.

"An imminent rebound still looks unlikely, even if there is some vague light at the end of what increasingly looks like a very long tunnel," Brzeski added.

On a monthly basis, the vast car manufacturing sector remained a drag with a 7.4% drop in output but chemicals, construction and food manufacturing all grew.