Industrial production falls in January
Industrial production edged down 0.1 percent in January after having risen 0.4 percent in December.
Manufacturing output decreased 0.4 percent after having risen 1.1 percent in December; the level of output in January was 1.7 percent above its year-earlier level but was 5.3 percent below its pre-recession peak in December 2007. Capacity utilization for manufacturing moved down 0.4 percentage point in January to 77.6 percent, a rate 1.2 percentage points below its long-run average.
The production of durable goods moved down 0.5 percent, with decreases recorded in many major categories of durables. The largest declines were in motor vehicles and parts, which dropped 3.2 percent, and in primary metals, which fell 2.6 percent; each of those indexes had advanced strongly in both November and December.
Smaller losses were reported for wood products; nonmetallic mineral products; computer and electronic products; electrical equipment, appliances, and components; and miscellaneous manufacturing. Gains were recorded in fabricated metal products, for machinery, for aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment, and for furniture and related products. Capacity utilization for durable goods manufacturing declined 0.6 percentage point to 77.7 percent, a rate 0.6 percentage point above its long-run average.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The May/June issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about GHX Industrial. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam and Frank Hurtte, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
