OREANDA-NEWS. Industrial production in 9M07 slowed for the sixth month in a row in Kazakhstan, albeit at a more measured pace, with headline year-to-date growth declining to 4.7% at the end of September from 5.0% a month ago, the Alfa Bank information service reports.This is a clear departure from the 6.8% YTD growth in the same period last year. Sector-wise, the main contributors to overall industrial output – the oil and metals & mining sectors – both showed a similar trend, with the gap between the two indicators stabilizing at 1.6 ppts in 9M07. While strong growth persisted in several industries outside the commodities sectors, such as cement (+23.5% y-o-y), rolled steel (+12.1% y-o-y) and food, as well as manufacturing in general (+7.2%), the positive impact on overall industrial output was limited.

Although industrial growth normally accelerates in the closing quarter, the Alfa Bank's analysts expect industrial production in FY2007 to end at around 5.5-5.9%, below last year’s figure of 7%.