BERLIN, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Germany's industrial production in real terms went up slightly by 0.4 percent in April, compared with the previous month, but the overall production remains subdued, according to figures released by the German statistical office (Destatis) on Tuesday.
The total production from February to April was 0.5 percent lower than the previous three months, Destatis data showed.
The slight increase is mainly driven by the sharp increase in construction production. Compared with March, production in the construction industry soared by 2.4 percent. Meanwhile, production in the automotive industry plunged by 4.7 percent month on month.
On a year-on-year basis, Germany's production in April decreased by 0.5 percent, a sign of improvement compared with March, when production shrank by 2.8 percent year-on-year.
Despite the sharp increase in construction production, the production index stood at 91.4 points, below the benchmark of 100 index points, reflecting negative sentiment across the industry.
"Industrial production will likely not see a positive turnaround until the Strait of Hormuz reopens," commented Philipp Scheuermeyer, a senior economist at the state development bank KfW.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy stated, however, that even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, energy prices would remain "significantly elevated for quite some time" and the supply situation for key intermediate goods would remain "tight" until production and trade capacities have largely normalized. ■