According to ISTAT, Italy's national statistics office, in August this year the seasonally adjusted index of Italian industrial production increased by 1.7 percent compared to July but was down 5.2 percent compared to August 2011 when adjusted for calendar effects.
Meanwhile, in the June-August quarter Italy's industrial production decreased by 0.7 percent compared to the preceding three-month period. Moreover, in the first eight months of 2012 the index decreased by 6.8 percent compared to the same period of 2011.
The index for Italian metal and metal products production (except equipment and machinery) rose by 3.3 percent in August compared to July, while it was up 0.5 percent in the June-August quarter compared to March-May. Meanwhile, on year-on-year basis, it decreased by 6.2 percent in August and by 7.8 percent in January-August.