German industrial production jumped 1.9% in July

Stagnation in the eurozone has put pressure on the ECB to boost the economy

German industry has posted its strongest month in almost two and a half years.

The Economy Ministry said industrial production was up 1.9% in July, lifted by an increase in manufacturing and construction output.

It is a big improvement from June when industrial production rose just 0.4%.

It is another piece of strong data from Germany. On Thursday data showed that industrial orders rose at the strongest rate in the more than a year in July.

However last month the ministry released figures to show the economy shrank by 0.2% in the second quarter.

In an effort to avoid further stagnation in Europe, on Thursday the European Central Bank announced a surprise cut in interest rates.

It also launched a programme to buy private sector debt to stimulate lending.