the crude stage of processing increased 0.2 percentage point, to 89.7 percent.
The utilization rate for industries at the primary and semi finished stages dropped 0.6 percentage point, to 82.8 percent, while the utilization rate for finished goods producers increased 0.6 percentage point, to 78.2 percent.
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Economic indicators at MDM’s Databank.
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Industrial production rose 0.2 percent in November and was revised down in October to show no change from its September level.
At 112.3 percent of its 2002 average, the index for total IP in November was 3.8 percent above its year-earlier level.
Manufacturing production increased 0.3 percent in November after two previous months of declines and was significantly boosted by a sharp increase in the production of motor vehicles and parts. Elsewhere in manufacturing, production was, on net, unchanged. The output at mines slipped 0.2 percent, and the output at utilities edged down 0.1 percent.
The rate of capacity utilization for total industry held steady at 81.8 percent, a level 0.8 percentage point above its 1972-2005 average.
Market Groups
The production index for automotive products jumped 3.5 percent after sharp decreases in September and October, and the index for home electronics increased 2.25 percent. In contrast, the indexes for appliances, furniture, and carpeting and for miscellaneous goods declined for a third month.
The output of nondurable consumer goods reversed its gain from October and edged down 0.1 percent. An increase of more than 1 percent in the index for foods and tobacco was slightly more than offset by declines in the other major categories of nondurables.
The indexes for paper products and for consumer energy products fell more than 1 percent, and smaller declines were recorded for clothing and for chemical products.
The production of business equipment rose 1.2 percent, the fastest pace of increase since July. Sizable gains in the output of trucks and of civilian aircraft boosted the output of transit equipment about 3 percent.
The index for industrial and other equipment turned up after declines in the previous two months. The output of defense and space equipment moved down 1/2 percent and was about 3 percent higher than its year-earlier level. The output of construction supplies declined for a fourth consecutive month, and sizable production cuts continued in steel and wood products.
Industry Groups
Manufacturing production increased 0.3 percent in November. The output of durable goods rose 0.7 percent, although the gains were spread unevenly among durable goods industries.
The output of motor vehicles and parts jumped 3.75 percent, reversing its October drop. In October, the production of motor vehicles and parts was at its lowest level in more than 4.5 years, and despite the jump in November, output was still 2.5 percent below its year-earlier level.
The production indexes for computers and electronic products and for miscellaneous goods both posted gains greater than 1 percent, and the indexes for aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment, for machinery, and for electrical equipment, appliances, and components also increased.
In contrast, durable goods industries that dropped 1 percent or more included furniture and related products and industries connected to construction, such as wood products, nonmetallic mineral products, and primary metals.
The output of nondurables was unchanged in November, as gains in the indexes for foods, beverage, and tobacco products, for plastics and rubber products, and for textile and product mills offset declines elsewhere. In the non-NAICS manufacturing industries–logging and publishing–production declined 1.5 percent and more than reversed the gain in October.
In November, capacity utilization in manufacturing was unchanged at 80.3 percent, about .5 percentage point above its 1972-2005 average. The operating rates for both mining and utilities fell 0.3 percentage point.
The rate for mining was almost 4 percentage points above its long-run average, while the rate for utilities was about equal to its long-run average. Capacity utilization for industries at
