The manufacturing sector in this country staged something of a comeback in November.
Figures released Thursday by Statistics Canada indicated manufacturing sales rebounded 1.5% in November from the month before on increases in the primary metal, petroleum and coal industries.
Analysts had expected a 1% increase from October, when sales dropped by 0.6%. The month-on-month rise was the biggest since the 1.6% advance last April.
The agency says sales were up in 14 of the 21 industries, representing 68% of manufacturing revenue. In volume terms, sales increased by 1.2%.
Primary metal manufacturing sales rose by 9.1% after two months of declines, while petroleum and coal product sales expanded by 3.7% as a number of oil refineries returned to full production after maintenance and retooling work.
The nation's number crunchers say sales in the chemical manufacturing industry hiked 3.4%, the fifth increase in six months.
Nine of the 10 provinces posted gains, the biggest seen in Quebec and Alberta.
