Industrial Production Falls 0.5% in February

U.S. industrial production fell 0.5% in February, the first decline in four months, the Federal Reserve said Monday.

The dip in production at factories, mines and utilities followed a revised 0.1% increase in January.

The downturn was greater than economists’ forecasts of a 0.1% decline, Bloomberg reported.

Manufacturing, which accounts for about four-fifths of industrial production, fell 0.2% following no change in January.

The share of industrial capacity in use was 80.9%, the lowest since November 2005, the Fed said.
 
The factory sector is one of trucking’s largest and most important customers.