French industrial production drops unexpectedly in September

French industrial production surprised to the downside in September as output shrank across all sectors.

Total output dropped 1.1% month-on-month, albeit following a jump of 2.3% in August, according to INSEE.

August's increase was originally pegged at 2.1%.

Versus the previous month, production in manufacturing fell 1.1%, energy and mining output fell 1.3% and construction activity was 0.9% lower.

For the third quarter as a whole, industrial production edged lower by 0.1% versus the prior quarter after slipping 0.3% in the second quarter.

Nevertheless, disparities between the monthly series and that used for the national accounts suggested a risk of a slight upside revision to third quarter French GDP.