Industrial production in the US decreased 0.3 per cent in April for its fifth consecutive monthly loss. Manufacturing output was unchanged in April after recording an upwardly revised gain of 0.3 per cent in March. In April, the index for mining moved down 0.8 per cent, its fourth consecutive monthly decrease; a sharp fall in oil and gas well drilling has more than accounted for the overall decline in mining this year.
The output of utilities fell 1.3 per cent in April. At 105.2 percent of its 2007 average, total industrial production in April was 1.9 per cent above its year-earlier level.
Capacity utilization for the industrial sector decreased 0.4 percentage point in April to 78.2 per cent, a rate that is 1.9 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2014) average.
Capacity utilization at 78.2 per cent is 1.9 per cent below the average from 1972 to 2012 and below the pre-recession level of 80.8 per cent in December 2007.
Industrial production decreased 0.3 per cent in April to 105.2. This is 25.6 per cent above the recession low, and 4.4 per cent above the pre-recession peak.