Industrial output in South Korea advanced a seasonally adjusted 2.6 percent on year in February, Statistics Korea said on Tuesday.

That topped expectations for a gain of 0.8 percent following the downwardly revised 3.8 percent decline in January.

On a yearly basis, industrial production tumbled 4.7 percent – missing forecasts for a decline of 2.5 percent following the downwardly revised 1.7 percent gain in the previous month.

The index of all industry production was up 2.5 percent on month and 0.8 percent on year.

The manufacturing production index in February added 2.8 percent on month but tumbled 4.8 percent on year.

The Producer’s Shipment Index added 0.8 percent on month but lost 4.6 percent on year. The Producer’s Inventory Index climbed 2.6 on month and 2.9 percent on year. The Production Capacity Index in eased 0.2 percent on month but gained 1.3 percent from on year.

The Index of Capacity Utilization Rate jumped 1.8 percent on month but dropped 6.9 percent on year. The Manufacturing Average Capacity Utilization Rate was 75.5 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous month. The Index of Services climbed 1.6 percent on month and 2.9 percent on year.

The Retail Sales Index gained 2.8 percent on month and 5.5 percent on year. The Equipment Investment Index in February increased 3.6 percent on month and 3.6 percent on year.

The Domestic Machinery Shipment Index in February lost 2.2 percent from on year. The value of Domestic Machinery Orders Received collected 1.4 percent on year.

The value of construction completed at constant prices increased 4.5 percent on month and 0.2 percent on year. The value of construction orders received at current prices fell 4.0 percent from on year.

The Composite Coincident Index in February added 0.7 percents on month. The Cyclical Component of Composite Coincident Index, which reflects current economic situations, gained 0.3 points from the previous month.

The Composite Leading Index advanced 1.0 percent on month. The Cyclical Component of Composite Leading Index, which predicts the turning point in business cycle, added 0.6 points on month.

Also on Tuesday, the bureau said that retail sales in South Korea were up a seasonally adjusted 2.8 percent on month in February.

That beat forecasts for an increase of 1.6 percent following the downwardly revised 2.8 percent contraction in January.

On a yearly basis, retail sales surged 5.5 percent – also topping expectations for an increase of 4.9 percent following the downwardly revised 2.9 percent decline in the previous month.

The material has been provided by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com