Czech industrial production in February rose 4.7 percent compared to January, and the improved figures were driven by the country’s automobile industry, which saw 15.4 percent growth. The value of new orders compared to a year ago was 10.5% higher, according to the Czech Statistics Office. Electricity, gas and heat production rose 7.8 percent, while the production of electronics grew 12 percent. By contrast, construction output fell y-o-y by 16 percent, the largest drop in two years, though this is being blamed in part on the extreme cold. However, the number of construction permits and the number of housing starts fell by 12 percent.
