Manufacturing output dips in March
The Federal Reserve said industrial production was unchanged in March for a second month but rose at an annual rate of 5.4 percent in the first quarter of 2012.
Manufacturing output declined 0.2 percent in March but increased at an annual rate of 10.4 percent in the first quarter, the largest gain since the second quarter of 2010.
The gain in manufacturing output in the first quarter was broadly based: Even excluding motor vehicles and parts, which jumped at an annual rate of nearly 40 percent, manufacturing output moved up at an annual rate of 8.3 percent and output for all but a few major industries increased 5 percent or more.
Capacity utilization for manufacturing in March moved down 0.2 percentage point to 77.8 percent, a rate 14.0 percentage points above its trough in June 2009 but still 1.0 percentage point below 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.
