Industrial output drops 4.4% in June

Industrial output fell 4.4% in June, compared to the same month last year, but inched up 0.1% from May, national statistics bureau Istat reported on Thursday.
When adjusted for the number of working days, the year-on-year decline was 1.8%, Istat added.
Output for the first six months of the year was 1.5% lower than the first half of 2007, down 1.2% when adjusted for working days.
Industrial production in the automotive sector plunged 23.8% in June, over June 2007, and was down 13.7% for the first half of the year.