by Calculated Risk on 11/17/2009 09:15:00 AM

From the Fed: Industrial production and Capacity Utilization

Industrial production increased 0.1 percent in October ... Manufacturing production moved down 0.1 percent and the output of mines decreased 0.2 percent, but the index for utilities rose 1.6 percent. At 98.6 percent of its 2002 average, total industrial production was 7.1 percent below its level of a year earlier. Capacity utilization for total industry moved up 0.2 percentage point to 70.7 percent, a rate 10.2 percentage points below its average for 1972 through 2008, and capacity utilization for manufacturing was unchanged at 67.6 percent.

Click on graph for larger image in new window.

This graph shows Capacity Utilization. This series has increased for four straight months, and is up from the record low set in June (the series starts in 1967).

Note: y-axis doesn't start at zero to better show the change.

This is just one month, but the recovery in industrial production slowed in October.