Industrial new orders in the euro zone rose 2.8 per cent in December from November, data showed today.
European Union statistics office Eurostat said orders increased 1.6 per cent compared with December 2005, beating the average forecast of a 0.7 per cent rise.
For the full year 2006, orders rose 9.1 per cent over the previous year.
Excluding volatile orders for ships, trains and aircraft, orders in December rose 0.6 per cent month-on-month and 4.6 per cent year-on-year, Eurostat said.
The biggest gain in annual terms was in orders for machinery and equipment, up 11.6 per cent. Orders for transport equipment were the weakest, falling 6.1 per cent. Industrial new orders are an indication of industrial production in coming months.
The data suggested economic growth in the then 12-country euro zone maintained its momentum at the end of 2006, with economists expecting a further interest rate increase by the European Central Bank.
The bank is widely seen raising rates by 25 basis points to 3.75 per cent at its March 8th meeting.
The European Commission forecast last week that economic growth in the now 13-country euro zone would slow only slightly this year to 2.4 per cent from a six-year peak of 2.7 per cent in 2006.