by Calculated Risk on 2/17/2016 09:25:00 AM

From the Fed: Industrial production and Capacity Utilization

Industrial production increased 0.9 percent in January after decreasing 0.7 percent in December. A storm late in the month likely held down production in January by a small amount. The index for utilities jumped 5.4 percent; demand for heating moved up markedly after having been suppressed by unseasonably warm weather in December. Manufacturing output increased 0.5 percent in January and was 1.2 percent above its year-earlier level. Mining production was unchanged following four months with declines that averaged about 1 1/2 percent per month. At 106.8 percent of its 2012 average, total industrial production in January was 0.7 percent below its year-earlier level. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector increased 0.7 percentage point in January to 77.1 percent, a rate that is 2.9 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2015) average.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

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 77.1% is 2.9% below the average from 1972 to 2015 and below the pre-recession level of 80.8% in December 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 0.9% in January to 106.8. This is 22.5% above the recession low, and 1.5% above the pre-recession peak.

This was above expectations of a 0.4% decrease, as production bounced back from the decline in December (mostly due to weather).