French industrial output fell unexpectedly in June due to falling production of cars and intermediate goods.
The monthly decline of 0.5 per cent followed an increase of 0.5 per cent in May - revised up from a previously reported 0.4 per cent - and meant industry output fell 0.3 per cent in the second quarter compared with the first three months of the year.
This follows Tuesday's data that showed German industrial production shrank unexpectedly in June, pointing to near stagnation in production in the second quarter.