Processing industry shoulders output increase

Industrial output increased 5.2% in the first nine months of 2002 as compared to the year-ago period, both in absolute volume and in comparable conditions in terms of number of working days.
The increase rests solely upon the processing industry, which cushioned the decline posted by the extractive industry and the industry of electric and thermal energy, gas and water.
According to the latest poll conducted by the National Institute of Statistics, most companies forecast an industrial output increase in the last quarter. Moreover, a retail boom is predicted.
While the processing industry output gained 6.7% at the end of Q3, the extractive industry and the industry of electrical and thermal energy, gas and water slumped 2.2% and 2%, respectively. Output went up 12% in absolute volume for the durables, 9.2% for nondurables and 4.6% for intermediary goods. The increase was 1.4% for capital goods. On the other hand, the energy industry posted 0.5% smaller output.
Compared to September 2001, the industrial output posted in the same month of 2002 was 9% bigger in absolute volume and 5.2% in comparable conditions in terms of number of working days.
End product inventories were worth 45,792 billion ROL at the end of September, accounting for 36.8% of the month’s resources, slightly more than in the previous months.
Bigger sales of non-foodstuffs in the first eight months of the year helped retail companies to increase turnover by 1.1% as compared to the level posted in the year-ago period.
According to statistics, sales of non-foodstuffs grew 6.8% between January and August, when the trend reversed and they slipped 5.8%. In August, the companies operating in this field saw their turnover augmented by 3.1% on the average, as compared to last August. However, their sales actually dropped 2.3% as compared to the previous month.
The companies selling and repairing autos and the car fuel retailers logged a 9.9% decrease in turnover in the first eight months, since the sales of fuels plunged 20.4%.