Saturday 17 October 2009

US industrial production rises, consumer sentiment falls

US industrial production continued to recover in September. Bloomberg reports:

Industrial production in the U.S. rose more than anticipated in September, putting manufacturing at the forefront of the emerging economic recovery.

The 0.7 percent increase in production at factories, mines and utilities exceeded every forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News and followed gains of 1.2 percent in August and 0.9 percent in July, Federal Reserve figures showed today...

Capacity use climbed to 70.5 percent last month from 69.9 in August, the report showed. It was estimated to rise to 69.8 percent, according to the Bloomberg survey median...

Factory output, which accounts for about four-fifths of industrial production, increased 0.9 percent after a 1.2 percent gain the prior month.

However, consumer confidence fell in October.

The Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment decreased to 69.4 from 73.5 in September, which was the highest in more than a year, the group reported today. Measures of expectations for six months ahead and current conditions both fell.

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