Industrial Production Falls 0.5%

Industrial production fell 0.5% in October, the most since January, the Federal Reserve said Friday.

The gain in production at factories, mines and utilities followed a 0.2% gain in September. Economists had forecast a 0.1% gain for October, Bloomberg reported.

The share of industrial capacity in use dropped to 81.7% from 82.2%, the Fed said.
 
The factory sector is one of trucking’s largest and most important customers.