Eurozone industry output below forecast in December

Eurozone industrial output rose slower than expected in December, according to data released on Tuesday, as the 12-nation bloc continued to recover along with the global economy.
Production rose by a smaller-than-expected 0.2 percent in December on a monthly basis. Compared with December 2002, seasonally-adjusted industry output was up by 2.3 percent, the European Union statistics office said in a statement.
The output data were slightly below expectations in financial markets with a Reuters consensus survey forecasting a monthly rise of 0.3 percent and an annual rise of 2.55 percent.
The strongest rise was recorded in the energy sector, up 0.6 percent on the month, while the production of capital goods fell 0.2 percent, Eurostat said.