The news just keeps getting better and better in Europe today. First a Nobel peace prize awarded to the European Union, and now industrial production numbers have beat forecasts: up 0.6% for the euro zone (17 countries) for August, and up 0.3% for the larger European Union (27 countries). Production of durable consumer goods increased by 3.9% for the euro zone in August, and 2.4% for the European Union. The most surprising news came from the troubled southern region where industrial production rose by 6.8% in Portugal, 2.5% in Greece, 1.7% in Italy, and 1.3% in Spain—winning over Germany, down 0.4%, Denmark down 2.8%, and Finland down 1.1%.