Fed report: U.S. industrial production increased 0.8 percent in April

Industrial production in the United States increased 0.8 percent in April after having risen 0.2 percent in March, the Federal Reserve Bank announced on May 14. The rates of change for both January and March were revised up, but the rate of change for February was revised down; nevertheless, the cumulative change over those months was only slightly lower than previously reported. Manufacturing output climbed 1.0 percent in April for a second consecutive month and was 6.0 percent above its year-earlier level. The increases in manufacturing continued to be broadly based across industries. Outside of manufacturing, the output of mines rose 1.4 percent, and the output of utilities decreased 1.3 percent. At 102.3 percent of its 2002 average, total industrial output in April was 5.2 percent above its year-earlier level. The capacity utilization rate for total industry advanced 0.6 percentage point to 73.7 percent, a rate 6.9 percentage points below its average from 1972 to 2009, but 4.5 percentage points above the rate from a year earlier.

r Revised. p Preliminary.

Market Groups 
The output of most major market groups rose in April. The production of consumer goods increased 0.2 percent, the result of higher output of consumer non-durables. The output of consumer durables was unchanged; declines in automotive products and in home electronics offset advances in appliances, furniture, and carpeting and in miscellaneous goods. The production of consumer nondurable goods moved up 0.3 percent, with the output of non-energy nondurables rising 0.3 percent and the output of consumer energy products gaining 0.5 percent. All major categories of consumer non-energy nondurables recorded increases, although most of the gains were small; the exception was paper products, which moved up 1.0 percent. For consumer nondurable energy products, higher fuel production was partly offset by a decrease in residential sales by utilities, which moved down for a third consecutive month.

The output of business equipment increased 1.0 percent in April, a pace on par with the average monthly gain during the first quarter of the year. The index for information processing equipment rose 0.5 percent, and the index for industrial and other equipment climbed 2.3 percent. Elsewhere in business equipment, the output of transit equipment dropped back 1.9 percent following an increase of 2.0 percent in March. The decline in April primarily resulted from lower output of civilian aircraft and of medium and heavy trucks.

In April, the output of defense and space equipment moved up for the fourth consecutive month; the index for this sector rose 0.5 percent and was 8.0 percent above its year-earlier level.

Within non-industrial supplies, the output of construction supplies advanced 2.8 percent in April after a similarly sized gain in March. The production of business supplies rose 0.7 percent in April after having fallen, on net, since the start of the year.

The output of materials to be further processed in the industrial sector increased 1.0 percent in April after having been unchanged in March; the index was 7.0 percent higher in April than its year-earlier level. Solid gains in the production of textile, paper, and chemical materials helped lift the output of nondurable materials, which rose 1.1 percent in April. Durable materials climbed 1.6 percent, as higher output of equipment parts and other durable materials more than offset a small decrease in the output of consumer parts. The production of energy materials edged down 0.1 percent, as the decline in utilities slightly more than offset increases in coal mining and in natural gas extraction.

Industry Groups 
Manufacturing output rose 1.0 percent in April. Capacity utilization for manufacturing moved up 0.8 percentage point to 70.8 percent, a rate 8.4 percentage points below its average from 1972 to 2009, but 5.7 percentage points above its trough in June 2009.

The production index for durable goods advanced 1.1 percent in April; all major categories of durables strengthened with the exception of motor vehicles and parts and aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment. Gains of 2.0 percent or more were recorded for nonmetallic mineral products; primary metals; machinery; and electrical equipment, appliances, and components.

Non-durable manufacturing climbed 1.0 percent in April. The output of petroleum and coal products jumped 3.6 percent, the index for plastics and rubber products expanded 2.7 percent, and the production of paper climbed 2.4 percent. The indexes for textile and product mills, for printing and support, and for chemicals also increased, while the indexes for food, beverage, and tobacco products and for apparel and leather were little changed.

In April, mining output advanced 1.4 percent, and capacity utilization rose to 90.7 percent, a rate 3.2 percentage points above its average for the period from 1972 to 2009. The gain in mining production mainly reflected increases in coal mining and in stone, sand, and gravel quarrying, as well as in support activities for mining. With another month of above-normal temperatures in April, the output of utilities declined 1.3 percent after having dropped 6.1 percent in March. Capacity utilization for utilities decreased 1.1 percentage points in April to 77.4 percent, a rate 9.2 percentage points below its average for the period from 1972 to 2009.

Capacity utilization rates in April at industries grouped by stage of process were as follows: At the crude stage, utilization increased 1.3 percentage points to 89.0 percent, a rate 2.5 percentage points above its average for the period from 1972 to 2009; at the primary and semifinished stages, utilization rose 0.8 percentage point to 70.2 percent, a rate 11.4 percentage points below its long-run average; and at the finished stage, utilization edged up 0.2 percentage point to 71.8 percent, a rate 5.7 percentage points below its long-run average.