European construction output dropped for a second month in January, as declines in Spain and Italy offset gains in Germany and France.
Construction in the 17-nation euro region slipped 0.8 per cent from December, when it declined a revised 1.9 per cent, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said on Monday. From a year earlier, output fell 1.4 per cent.
In Italy and Spain, construction output dropped 7.8 per cent and 3.5 per cent from the previous month, respectively. In Germany, Europe’s largest economy, output advanced 4.3 per cent, while France reported a gain of 0.6 per cent.
Portugal had an increase of 2.5 per cent.
The statistics office had previously reported a monthly gain of 0.3 per cent in December. Ireland and Greece are among countries that are not required to provide monthly data.
