By Sean Carney
PRAGUE--Czech industrial output grew a bit more than expected in
February but the country's trade surplus in the same month was
below expectations as a weak currency is boosting import
prices.
Industrial output rose 6.7% annually in February, compared with
a revised 5.7% in January, the Czech Statistics Office, or CSU,
said Monday.
The February figure was above the 6.4% rise expected by
analysts. The CSU earlier reported the January figure as yearly
growth of 5.5%.
The value of new orders for industrial companies in the month
rose 19.9% on year, while output in the automotive manufacturing
sector rose 16.1% annually, the CSU said.
The recent uptick in automotive sales in the Czech Republic and
in some European markets has been helping the country, as
car-making is the backbone of the local, export-focused
economy.
The Czech foreign trade surplus in January was 13.6 billion
koruna ($679.4 million), compared with the January surplus of
CZK15.5B billion.
Analysts expected a February surplus of CZK23.7 billion.
The narrowing trade surplus was in part due to the Czech central
bank's weak-koruna policy, which helps exports but makes imports
more expensive.
The CSU said higher prices for imported goods such as oil, gas
and chemicals were key factors weighing on the February trade
balance.
The koruna was relatively steady on the day at 27.44 to the euro
just after the data release.
Write to Sean Carney at sean.carney@wsj.com