HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finnish industrial output rose 2.8 percent in March from a year earlier despite the coronavirus outbreak, but new manufacturing orders fell by 9.3% in the same period, data from Statistics Finland showed on Friday.
“Corona (impact) is likely to be seen in Finland’s industrial production in April. Regardless, this is good news,” Markku Lehmus, head of forecasting at the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy Etla wrote on Twitter.
In nations such as Germany, industrial production had collapsed already in March, he added.
German industry output plunged 9.2% in March, its fastest decline since current records began in 1991, data showed on Thursday.
In the first quarter from January to March, new manufacturing orders in Finland fell 5.6% year-on-year, the office said.
(Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
