German industrial production jumps in January

German industrial production jumped unexpectedly in January, propelled by increased activity in the manufacturing and construction sectors, the economy ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry calculated that factory output -- a key yardstick for gauging the health of Europe's biggest economy -- leapt by 3.3 percent in January compared with a month earlier, corrected for seasonal factors.

Analysts had been projecting in a much more modest increase of just 0.4 percent in January following a contraction of 0.3 percent in December.

Manufacturing output was up by 3.2 percent month-on-month and construction output jumped by 7.0 percent, while energy output edged up by just 0.1 percent, the ministry said.