Industrial production increased 0.7% in April after decreasing 0.3% in March. In April, manufacturing output rose 0.6%, the index for mining ticked down 0.1%, and utilities output moved up 1.9%. Manufacturing output excluding motor vehicles and parts increased 0.3%. At 102.5% of its 2017 average, total industrial production in April was 1.4% above its year-earlier level. Capacity utilization moved up to 76.1%, a rate that is 3.3% percentage points (pp) below its long-run (1972–2025) average.
The major market groups posted mostly positive results in April. The production of consumer goods moved up 0.9%, with gains in both durable and nondurable consumer goods. The index for business equipment jumped 1.5%, boosted by a gain of 4.2% in transit equipment. The output of defense and space equipment rose 1.9%, the output of construction supplies was little changed, and the output of business supplies increased 0.3%. The index for materials moved up 0.5%, led by increases in the output of durable materials and energy materials, while the output of non-energy nondurable materials declined.
Manufacturing output rose 0.6% in April after edging up 0.1% in March. The production of durables increased 1.2% in April, with gains in most categories. The largest increase was in the output of motor vehicles and parts, which jumped 3.7%. Nondurable manufacturing production edged down 0.1%, as declines in several categories, notably the indexes for chemicals and for plastics and rubber products, which both decreased 0.9%, were mostly offset by increases in the indexes for food, beverage, and tobacco products, for printing and support, and for petroleum and coal products.
Mining output edged down 0.1% in April after falling 1.6% in March. The output of utilities increased 1.9% in April, with gains in both electric and natural gas utilities.
Capacity utilization for manufacturing moved up 0.4 pp to 75.8% in April and is now 2.4 pp below its long-run (1972–2025) average. The operating rate for mining edged down 0.1 pp to 84.6%, and the operating rate for utilities increased 1.1 pp to 71.1%. The utilization rates for mining and for utilities were 0.6 pp and 12.9 pp below their long-run averages, respectively.
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