Czech industrial output growth slows to 1.3 percent in February

Czech industrial production continued to grow in February, but the pace slowed for the third month in a row. Output was up 1.3 percent year on year, following a revised 2.7 percent increase in January, according to figures released by the Czech Statistical Office on Wednesday. Compared with January, industrial production also rose by 1.3 percent, while the value of new orders increased by 1.6 percent from a year earlier. Growth was driven mainly by metalworking and the automotive industry. By contrast, electricity and gas production pulled the overall result down, mainly because of planned outages at some power plants.