In January, US industrial production fell for the first time since July, on the back of the manufacturing slowdown. The wave of bad weather that hit the country in particular weighed heavily. According to the Federal Reserve, the contraction was 0,3%, while analysts expected a 0,3% increase. The December figure remained unchanged at 0,3%.
Capacity utilization of the plants decreased by 0,4% from the previous month to 78,5%, less than the 79,3% expected by experts. The December figure was revised downwards from 79,2 to 78,9%.
It should be noted that production in the manufacturing sector, the largest component of the general data, fell by 0,8% in January, interrupting the positive series which had lasted for five months. The production of consumer goods, cars and household appliances was also down.
