2020-11-18 14:10:00
U.S. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION UP
U.S. FRB - November 17, 2020 - Industrial production rose 1.1 percent in October. The index has recovered much of its 16.5 percent decline from February to April, but output in October was still 5.6 percent lower than its pre-pandemic February level. After edging up 0.1 percent in September, manufacturing output increased 1.0 percent in October. The output of utilities rose 3.9 percent, while the output at mines declined 0.6 percent to a level that was 14.4 percent below its year-earlier reading. At 103.2 percent of its 2012 average, total industrial production was 5.3 percent lower in October than it was a year earlier. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector increased 0.8 percentage point in October to 72.8 percent, a rate that is 7.0 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2019) average but 8.6 percentage points above its low in April.
Market Groups
Every major market group posted gains in October. The output of consumer goods rose 0.8 percent, with broad-based gains among its components. After falling more than 17 percent between February and April, the index for consumer goods rebounded quickly and in October it was within 1.7 percent of its February level. The production of business equipment moved up 0.6 percent in October, but it was still 7.3 percent lower than it was in February. The indexes for defense and space equipment, construction supplies, business supplies, and materials each advanced 1.0 percent or more in October.
Industry Groups
Manufacturing output increased 1.0 percent in October; even so, it was about 5 percent below its level in February. The index for durable manufacturing stepped up 0.9 percent, as small drops in the indexes for furniture and related products, fabricated metal products, and motor vehicles and parts were outweighed by gains elsewhere, especially for aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment and for miscellaneous manufacturing. The index for nondurables rose 1.2 percent; nearly all of its components posted gains. The output of other manufacturing (publishing and logging) fell 1.5 percent.
The index for utilities moved up 3.9 percent in October, with an increase for electric utilities more than offsetting a decrease for natural gas utilities. Mining output declined 0.6 percent, as oil and gas extraction fell back in October after posting a gain in September.
Capacity utilization for manufacturing rose 0.7 percentage point in October to 71.7 percent, 11.6 percentage points higher than its trough in April but still 6.5 percentage points below its long-run average. The utilization rate for mining declined to 77.9 percent, remaining below its long-run average of 87.2 percent. The operating rate for utilities increased to 72.7 percent, a rate that is 12.5 percentage points below its long-run average.
Revision of Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization
The Federal Reserve Board plans to issue its annual revision to the indexes of industrial production (IP) and the related measures of capacity utilization in early 2021. New annual benchmark data for manufacturing for 2017 and 2018 will be incorporated, as well as other annual data, including information on the mining of metallic and nonmetallic minerals (except fuels). The weights for market-group splits of the industry-level indexes will be updated with information from the 2012 benchmark input-output accounts from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The updated IP indexes will include revisions to the monthly indicator (either product data or input data) and to seasonal factors for each industry. In addition, the estimation methods for some series may be changed. Any modifications to the methods for estimating the output of an industry will affect the index from 1972 to the present.
Capacity and capacity utilization will be revised to incorporate data for manufacturing through the fourth quarter of 2019 from the U.S. Census Bureau's Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization, along with new data on capacity from the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Energy, and other organizations.
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Earlier:
2020, November, 9, 13:05:00
U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN TO 6.9%
Total U.S. nonfarm payroll employment rose by 638,000 in October, and the unemployment rate declined to 6.9 percent,
2020, November, 6, 12:15:00
U.S. FEDERAL FUNDS RATE 0.0 - 0.25% ANEW
The Committee decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent
2020, November, 5, 12:25:00
U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE DEFICIT DOWN
the U.S. goods and services deficit was $63.9 billion in September, down $3.2 billion from $67.0 billion in August,
2020, October, 29, 17:05:00
U.S. GDP UP 33%
U.S. Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 33.1 percent in the third quarter of 2020
2020, October, 19, 14:05:00
U.S. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION DOWN
U.S. industrial production fell 0.6 percent in September, its first decline after four consecutive months of gains.
