Euro-Region Construction Output Fell for Second Month in July

Euro-area construction output fell for a second month in July, led by declines from Spain to the Netherlands, suggesting the industry’s slump extended into the third quarter.

Construction in the 17-nation euro area slipped 0.3 percent from June, when it dropped a revised 0.6 percent, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said today. From a year earlier, construction output declined 4.7 percent.

In Italy and Spain, the euro region’s third- and fourth- largest economies, output dropped 2.2 percent and 2.1 percent in the month, respectively, today’s report showed. France reported a decrease of 0.1 percent from June, while production in the Netherlands and Portugal also fell. German output rose 1.9 percent from June, when it dropped 1.3 percent.

In the 27-nation EU, output fell 0.2 percent from June, when it slipped 1.4 percent. The statistics office had previously reported a monthly decline of 0.5 percent for the euro area in June. Ireland and Greece are not required to provide monthly data on construction output.

To contact the reporter on this story: Simone Meier in Zurich at smeier@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Craig Stirling at cstirling1@bloomberg.net