By Reuters Staff
(Adds analyst comments, data from bank release, background)
SANTIAGO, March 1 (Reuters) - Chile’s economic activity fell 3.1% in January from the same month a year ago, the central bank said on Monday, as a rebound in cases of the coronavirus dragged on the service and manufacturing sectors.
The bank’s IMACEC economic activity index encompasses about 90% of the economy tallied in gross domestic product figures.
The sharp year-on-year fall was more severe than market expectations for a contraction of around 1%, according to a central bank poll in February.
Construction and manufacturing output both dropped off in January versus the same period the previous year, the bank data showed, as the world’s top copper producer struggled to reboot to 2020 levels following months of economic hardship.