Industrial Output Up, Manufacturing Down in June

Washington, DC, July 15, 2010--U.S. industrial output rose 0.1% in June as higher mining and utility production offset a decline in manufacturing, the Federal Reserve reported Thursday.

The increase was a surprise, as economists were expecting a 0.1% decline after a 1.3% increase in May.

Industrial output is up 8.2% compared with a year ago after falling at the fastest rate since World War II. Capacity utilization, a key gauge of inflationary pressures, was unchanged at 74.1%. Manufacturing output fell 0.4% in June after a 1% gain in May. It was the first decline since February.