South Korea Industrial Production Climbs 0.4% In November

(RTTNews) - Industrial output in South Korea rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent on month in November, Statistics Korea said on Thursday.

That beat forecasts for a decline of 0.8 percent following the 3.5 percent contraction in October.

On a yearly basis, industrial output sank 3.7 percent - also topping expectations for a drop of 4.0 percent following the downwardly revised 1.2 percent contraction in the previous month (originally -1.1 percent).

The index of all industry production was up 0.1 percent on month and 0.6 percent on year in November.

The Manufacturing Production Index added 0.5 percent on month but fell 3.8 percent on year. The Manufacturing Shipment Index lost 2.4 percent on month and 4.2 percent on year. The Manufacturing Inventory Index increased by 1.4 percent on month and 6.1 percent on year.

The Production Capacity Index was flat on month and down 0.8 percent on year. The Index of Capacity Utilization Rate rose 0.9 percent on month but shed 2.5 percent on year. The Manufacturing Average Capacity Utilization Rate was 73.1 percent, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous month.

The Index of Services fell 0.6 percent on month but climbed 2.6 percent on year. The Retail Sales Index sank 1.8 percent on month and 2.2 percent on year.

The Equipment Investment Index added 1.0 percent on month and 11.0 percent on year. The Domestic Machinery Shipment Index surged an annual 10.9 percent. The value of Domestic Machinery Orders Received soared 15.3 percent on year.

The value of Construction Completed at constant prices increased by 1.4 percent on month and 10.2 percent on year. The value of Construction Orders Received at current prices tumbled 11.1 percent on year.

The Composite Coincident Index eased 0.5 percent on month. The Cyclical Component of Composite Coincident Index, which reflects current economic situations, fell 0.7 points from the previous month.

The Composite Leading Index rose 0.1 percent on month. The Cyclical Component of Composite Leading Index, which predicts the turning point in business cycle, dipped 0.2 points from the previous month.

Also on Thursday, Statistics Korea said that the value of retail sales in South Korea was down a seasonally adjusted 1.8 percent on month in November.

That missed expectations for a decline of 1.0 percent following the 0.2 percent contraction in October.

On a yearly basis, retail sales were down 2.2 percent - again missing forecasts for a decline of 1.5 percent following the 0.7 percent drop in the previous month.