Malta: Industrial Production Index up for second month

The Index of Industrial Production rose by 1.3 percent in July from the month before, driven mainly by an increase in capital goods which soared by 11.1 percent in the period. This was the second consecutive rise since a sharp -6.7 percent decline in April.

Data by the National Statistics Office indicates a decrease in the production of energy (-2.7%) and in intermediate goods (-0.9%) while consumer goods edged up by 0.1 percent.

Compared to July 2019, the seasonally adjusted Index was down by 2.7 percent although increases were registered in energy production (+2.8%) and consumer goods (+0.6%). The biggest drop year-on-year was observed in intermediate goods (-10.4%) while capital goods fell by -6.7 percent.

The highest total production Index this year was recorded in March, which was 2.5 percent more than the July figures.