According to ISTAT, Italy's national statistics office, in March this year the seasonally adjusted index of Italian industrial production increased by 0.5 percent compared to February, while it was down 5.8 percent compared to March 2011 when adjusted for calendar effects.
In March of the current year, the seasonally adjusted index decreased noticeably on year-on-year basis for all products, with energy down 8.7 percent, consumer goods down 6.6 percent, intermediate goods declining by 6.3 percent and instrumental goods decreasing by 3.9 percent.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2012 Italy's industrial production decreased by 2.1 percent compared to the preceding three-month period and was down 5.8 percent compared to the first quarter of 2011.