by Calculated Risk on 8/16/2011 09:15:00 AM

From the Fed: Industrial production and Capacity Utilization

Industrial production advanced 0.9 percent in July. Although the index was revised down in April, primarily as a result of a downward revision to the output of utilities, stronger manufacturing output led to upward revisions to production in both May and June. Manufacturing output rose 0.6 percent in July, as the index for motor vehicles and parts jumped 5.2 percent and production elsewhere moved up 0.3 percent. The output of mines advanced 1.1 percent, and the output of utilities increased 2.8 percent, as the extreme heat during the month boosted air conditioning usage. At 94.2 percent of its 2007 average, total industrial production for July was 3.7 percentage points above its year-earlier level. The capacity utilization rate for total industry climbed to 77.5 percent, a rate 2.2 percentage points above the rate from a year earlier but 2.9 percentage points below its long-run (1972--2010) average.

Click on graph for larger image in graph gallery.

This graph shows Capacity Utilization. This series is up 10.2 percentage points from the record low set in June 2009 (the series starts in 1967).

Capacity utilization at 77.5% is still "2.9 percentage points below its average from 1972 to 2010" - and below the pre-recession levels of 81.2% in November 2007.

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

The second graph shows industrial production since 1967.

Industrial production increased in July to 94.2.

Both industrial production and capacity utilization had been moving sideways for a few months. This was a fairly strong increase, although partially related to the extreme heat (and an increase in utilities). This was above the consensus forecast of a 0.5% increase in Industrial Production, and an increase to 77.0% for Capacity Utilization.