Brazil industrial output grows 2.5 pct in January from December

SAO PAULO, March 7 (Reuters) - Industrial production in Brazil grew a more-than-expected 2.5 percent in January from December, government statistics agency IBGE said on Thursday.

Production had been expected to expand 1.55 percent, according to the median estimate of 38 analysts in a Reuters survey. The forecasts ranged from a 0.6 percent rise to a 3.1 percent gain.

January's industrial production grew 5.7 percent from a year earlier, more than the 4.45 percent increase forecast in the Reuters survey. Estimates for the expansion ranged from 1.0 percent to 5.8 percent.