Surge in auto production lifts industrial output by 0.6% in July
Source: MarketWatch
Market Pulse
By Steve Goldstein
D.C. bureau chief
Published: Aug 14, 2015 9:16 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Thanks largely to increased production of autos, industrial production climbed 0.6% in July, the Federal Reserve said Friday. There were also upward revisions of 0.1% each in February, May and June. Excluding the 10.6% surge in autos, manufacturing production rose 0.1%, mining output rose 0.2% while utilities output fell 1%. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector increased 0.3 percentage point to 78%. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected a 0.4% rise in industrial production and a utilization rate of 78.1%.
Read more: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/surge-in-auto-production-lifts-industrial-output-by-06-in-july-2015-08-14
U.S. Industrial Production Ratchets Up in July
By Eric Morath
Eric.Morath@wsj.com
@EricMorath
Updated Aug. 14, 2015 9:23 a.m. ET
U.S. industrial production picked up in July, a sign the manufacturing sector is clicking into a higher gear this summer.
Industrial production, a measure of output in the manufacturing, utilities and mining sectors, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in July from June, the Federal Reserve said Friday. It’s the second straight increase for the measure after starting the year with five monthly decreases.
Capacity utilization, which measures industrial slack, increased 0.3 percentage points to 78.0% in July from June. Capacity utilization has risen 1.7 percentage points over the past year, but stands 2.1 percentage points below its average since 1972.
Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected a 0.4% increase in industrial production last month and capacity utilization of 78.0%.