Canada November manufacturing sales rebound, up 1.5 percent

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian manufacturing sales rebounded in November, jumping by 1.5 percent from October on increases in the primary metal, petroleum and coal industries, Statistics Canada said on Thursday. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 1.0 percent increase from October, when sales dropped by 0.6 percent. The month-on-month rise was the biggest since the 1.6 percent advance last April. Sales were up in 14 of the 21 industries, representing 68 percent of manufacturing revenue. In volume terms, sales increased by 1.2 percent. Primary metal manufacturing sales rose by 9.1 percent after two months of declines, while petroleum and coal product sales expanded by 3.7 percent as a number of oil refineries returned to full production after maintenance and retooling work. Sales in the chemical manufacturing industry rose 3.4 percent, the fifth increase in six months. Nine of Canada's 10 provinces posted gains, led by Quebec and Alberta. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)