Italy's industrial production remained unchanged in March, in contrast to the expected decline, data from the statistical office Istat revealed on Tuesday.
On a monthly basis, industrial production remained flat in March, following February's 4.0 percent increase. Output was forecast to decline 1.9 percent.
Industrial production grew by calendar-adjusted 3 percent annually in March, but slower than the 3.4 percent rise in February.
The annual growth was underpinned by an 8.1 percent rise in consumer goods output, followed by a 5.2 percent increase in energy production. Capital goods output gained 3.0 percent, while the production of intermediate goods fell 0.4 percent.
The unadjusted industrial output growth improved to 3.8 percent annually from 3.4 percent in February.
In the first quarter, industrial production decreased 0.9 percent from the previous three months.
