US manufacturing output in January posted the biggest monthly gain in 11 months, with gains in both durable and non-durable manufacturing.
US manufacturing output increased by 0.6pc in January after no change in December from the prior month, Federal Reserve data showed Wednesday. Manufacturing output was up by 2.4pc from a year earlier.
Manufacturing of durable goods rose by 0.8pc on the month, with gains of at least 1pc in machinery, computers and nonmetalic mineral products.
Motor vehicles output was up by 1.3pc on the month and was up by 5.5pc from a year earlier.
Output of nondurable manufactured goods rose by 0.4pc, with gains in plastics, chemicals and rubber products more than offset by declines in other industries such as food and beverage and leather products. Plastics and rubber output were up by 1.3pc on the month. They were up by 2.5pc from a year earlier.
Industrial production, which includes manufacturing output, mining and utilities, increased by 0.7pc in January after climbing by 0.2pc in December from the prior month. Mining output decreased by 0.2pc from the prior month following a monthly 0.9pc decline in December, while utilities output gained by 2.1pc.
Mining output was up by 2.5pc from a year prior, while within utilities, electric and gas output were both up by 2.1pc from the prior month.
Industrial capacity utilization rose to 72.6pc, which is still 3.2 percentage points below its 1972-2025 long-term average.
The operating rate for mining edged down by 0.1 point to 84.4pc, while the operating rate for utilities rose by 1.3 point to 72.9pc from a year earlier.
