FX.co ★ Dutch Industrial Output Falls Most Since June 2020

The industrial output in the Netherlands has seen its most rapid decline in over three-and-a-half years this past March, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics. There was a year-on-year drop in industrial production by 6 percent in March, more than double the rate in the preceding month at 2.8 percent. This marks a continuous downfall trend since April 2023.

Moreover, this steep contraction has hit its highest record since June 2020 when there was a 7.5 percent decrease in production. Among various industrial sectors, machine repair and installation suffered the most, facing a substantial 15.5 percent decline. This was closely followed by the transport industry which experienced a 13.4 percent contraction.

On the monthly scale, there was also a 1.5 percent drop in industrial production during March. However, industry manufacturers were slightly more optimistic in April than they were in March. This optimism was primarily due to expected activities and a somewhat diminished negativity towards their projected order portfolio.