German industrial output down

German industrial production shrank again in October, with economic activity down in all major sectors, official data showed on Monday. Industrial output contracted by 1.2 percent in October after already declining by 0.7 percent in September, the economy ministry calculated in preliminary data. Economic activity was down across the board, with manufacturing output down 1.1 percent, construction output shrinking by 1.7 percent and energy output contracting by 1.9 percent, the ministry said. Taking September and October combined to iron out short-term fluctuations, industrial output contracted by 0.5 percent compared with the preceding two months, the ministry calculated.