Economists startled by February's record growth in industrial output

This was a record result and came as a surprise to economists who expected it to be far lower at around 12%. High demand for Polish products abroad, fueled by the strong euro, contributed to the good result. Sectors which grew the fastest included shipbuilding, the automotive industry and electrical machinery. However, some sectors did not do too well. The building industry contracted a further 6.3% during the month. "However, as the construction sector has a large gray zone the statistic is not as bad it appears," said Łukasz Tarnawa, Bank PKO BP's main analyst. (Puls Biznesu p. 6; Parkiet p. 7) K.J.