German industrial output suffered its steepest drop in August since April last year, due to supply chain disruptions that are holding back growth in Europe’s biggest economy and hitting the auto sector particularly hard, official data showed on Thursday. The Federal Statistics Office said industrial output fell by 4.0% on the month after an increase of 1.3% in July. A Reuters poll had pointed to a decline in August of 0.4%. “Manufacturers continue to report production constraints due to supply shortages of intermediate products,” the office said in a statement. Production of cars and car parts fell by 17.5% on the month. German car companies are struggling to meet a post-pandemic surge in demand since the start of the year, due to a lack […]