German industrial production down 2.2 pct in April

BERLIN — Official data show that industrial production in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, dropped by 2.2 percent in April compared with the previous month.

The Economy Ministry said Wednesday that the decline was led by a 3.6 drop in production of capital goods such as factory machinery and a 3.7 percent fall in production of consumer goods.

The drop followed a 2.2 percent month-on-month gain in March — a figure that was revised downward from the initial reading of 2.8 percent.

But the Economy Ministry said that industrial production remains “very robust.”

It said one factor in the decline was the fact that April 30, the day before the May Day holiday, fell on a Monday — meaning that many people took the extra day off.