French industrial output rebounds, growing 0.7%

French industrial production bounced back in February, gaining 0.7 percent from the previous month as manufacturing activity provided the main driver of growth, data released on Wednesday by the national statistics institute showed. The reading for that category was 0.8 percent higher than in January, the Insee institute said. In January, overall industrial output in France, the second largest eurozone economy, had fallen by a monthly 0.8 percent, while manufacturing output had dropped by 1.3 percent. Insee said that in the past three months, industrial output was a slight 0.1 percent lower than in the previous quarter, while the manufacturing sector showed a stronger decline of 0.3 percent. Sharp three-month declines were noted "in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment (-1.3%), (and) in the manufacture of transport equipment," Insee said.