07/10/2020 - 16:27
Clarín.com
Economy
Industrial activity fell 7.1% in August compared to the same month last year, and fell 0.9% compared to July 2020, the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC) reported on Wednesday
Meanwhile,
construction registered a 17.7% decline
in year-on-year terms in August and a decrease of 1% in relation to last July.
#DatoINDEC
The industry fell 0.9% in August 2020 compared to July and 7.1% year-on-year https://t.co/gOgWN6T779 pic.twitter.com/YTCEPk7Xud
- INDEC Argentina (@INDECArgentina) October 7, 2020
Both data are consistent with a slump in economic activity in general during the month of August.
According to the IGA of the Ferreres Study, an indicator that measures the evolution of activity in general,
the economy in August fell 8.5%
and accumulated a 9.8% retraction in the eight months.
For the consulting firm, the GDP will close the year with a 12% contraction.
In September, according to data from the CEP of the Ministry of Productive Development, industrial activity (measured from an indicator that takes energy consumption) rose 1.6% year-on-year.
The Indec reported this afternoon that in August the
manufacturing
industrial production
index
(IPI manufacturing) fell 7.1% compared to the same month of 2019. The accumulated January-August 2020 decreased 12.5% compared to the same period of 2019.
For its part, the seasonally adjusted series index showed a negative variation of 0.9% compared to the previous month and the trend-cycle series index registered a positive variation of 1.4% compared to the previous month.
Twelve of the sixteen divisions of manufacturing industry showed year-on-year declines.
The most affected areas were
basic metal
(25.2%);
food and beverages
(4.9%) and
clothing
, leather and footwear (30.7%).
They showed high chemical products (10.4%);
furniture and mattresses (10.2%);
machinery and equipment (5.2%).
On the
construction side
, the accumulated for the eight months of the year shows a decrease of 31.8% compared to the same period of 2019. Also, in August 2020, the index of the seasonally adjusted series shows a negative variation of 1, 0% compared to the previous month.
The data on the apparent consumption of construction supplies in August 2020 show, in relation to the same month of the previous year, drops of 64.2% in manufactured concrete;
60.9% in asphalt;
49.0% in the rest of the supplies (includes taps, seamless steel tubes and glass for construction);
41.4% in granite and calcareous mosaics;
38.5% in plaster;
19.3% in ceramic sanitary ware;
12.5% in portland cement and 12.2% in round iron and steel for construction.
Meanwhile, increases of 17.4% are observed in hollow bricks;
7.7% in construction paints;
7.1% in plasterboard;
1.7% in ceramic floors and wall tiles and 1.2% in lime.
The INDEC reported a few weeks ago that in the first semester the collapse was 16.1% compared to the same period last year.
In the first quarter, which included only ten of the coronavirus quarantine, the drop had been 5.4%.
AFG EB
Look also
Record recession: economic activity continued to decline in August
