US manufacturing output unexpectedly rises on rebound in motor vehicle production

Core Insights - U.S. factory production unexpectedly increased by 0.2% in August, rebounding from a downwardly revised 0.1% decline in July, contrary to economists' expectations of a 0.2% decrease [2][3] - The manufacturing sector, which constitutes 10.2% of the economy, saw a year-over-year production increase of 0.9% in August [2] Manufacturing Sector Performance - Motor vehicle and parts production rose by 2.6% in August after a 0.7% decline in July, while production of fabricated metal products and machinery decreased [4] - Durable manufacturing production increased by 0.2% in August, following a 0.3% gain in July [4] - Nondurable manufacturing output rebounded by 0.3% after a 0.5% decline in the previous month, with increases in textiles, petroleum, and coal products, although plastics and rubber products saw a decline [5] Mining and Utilities - Mining output increased by 0.9% in August after a 1.5% decrease in July, while utilities production dropped by 2.0% following a 0.7% decline in the prior month [6] Industrial Production Overview - Overall industrial production edged up by 0.1% in August after a 0.4% decline in July, with a year-over-year increase of 0.9% [6] Capacity Utilization - Capacity utilization in the industrial sector remained unchanged at 77.4% in August, which is 2.2 percentage points below the 1972–2024 average, while the manufacturing sector's operating rate increased slightly to 76.8%, 1.4 percentage points below its long-run average [7]