WASHINGTON – Industrial production in the United States fell by 0.2 percent in September as capacity utilization dipped, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.
Slack global demand and the strong dollar combined to reduce industrial production for the second consecutive month.
Manufacturing output fell 0.1 percent in September after a 0.4 percent in the prior month.
Warmer-than-usual temperatures in September led to a 1.3 percent increase in the output of utilities, while continued weakness in oil and gas drilling led to a 2.0 percent drop in production in extractive industries.
Capacity utilization fell from 77.8 percent in August to 77.5 percent in September, well below the 80-percent median during the years prior to the 2008 financial crisis.
Latin America Herald Tribune October 18, 2015
