Canada's manufacturing sales rise 1.1% in April

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Canada's manufacturing sales rose 1.1% to reach $70.8 billion in April, according to figures released Friday by the country's statistical agency.

The market expectation for the figure was to show an increase of 1.3%.

The figure for March, meanwhile, was revised to a decline of 1.8% from a decrease of 2.1%.

The increase in April was mainly attributable to higher sales of transportation equipment, primary metals and chemical products, which monthly gained 4.1%, 4.7% and 4%, respectively.

Those gains, however, were offset by lower production in the aerospace products and parts industry group that plummeted 6.8%.

"Despite the decline in April, production of aerospace products and parts was 9.8% higher compared with the same month a year earlier," Statistics Canada said in a statement.

"Sales of motor vehicles increased 5.6% to $4.8 billion in April, while sales of motor vehicle parts rose 7.7%," it added.