[Marxism] FRB Report on Industrial Production and Capacity

[S. Artesian]

Industrial production fell 1.4 percent in February; the overall index has 
now declined for 4 consecutive months and for 10 of the past 12 months. At 
99.7 percent of its 2002 average, output in February was 11.2 percent below 
its year-earlier level and was the lowest level since April 2002. Production 
in the manufacturing sector moved down 0.7 percent, with broad-based 
declines among its components. An increase in the production of motor 
vehicles and parts after the extended plant shutdowns in January, however, 
added nearly 1/2 percentage point to the change in manufacturing production. 
Outside of manufacturing, the output of mines moved down 0.4 percent, while 
a swing to above-average temperatures contributed to a 7.7 percent drop in 
the output of utilities. The capacity utilization rate for total industry 
fell to 70.9 percent, a rate 10 percentage points below its average from 
1972 to 2008. This rate matches the historical low for this series, which 
was recorded in December 1982; the data for total industrial utilization 
begin in 1967.

full at: http://www.federalreserve.gov:80/releases/g17/Current/