previous article inaccurately stated change in overall industrial production)
Industrial production fell in April, according to new government statistics released Wednesday. This came with another decline in manufacturing output. The figures also indicated that the economy remains sluggish in terms of its resource use.
New data released by the Federal Reserve showed that the output at the nation's mines, utilities and factories fell 0.5 percent in April compared to the previous month. This followed a rise of 0.3 percent in March and an increase of 0.9 percent in February.
Compared to the same time last year, industrial production was higher by 1.9 percent.
The slide in April included a 3.7 percent drop at the nation's utilities and a 0.4 percent fall in the manufacturing sector. These declines were partially offset by growth in the mining sector, with a rise of 0.9 percent compared to the previous month.
The dip in manufacturing was the second in a row, following a 0.3 percent retreat in March. It was also the third decline in the past four months.
Manufacturing output was up 1.3 percent compared to last year.
Capacity utilization, which measures how completely the economy is using its available resources, stood at 77.8 percent for April.
This was down from March's reading of 78.3 percent. April's reading remains well below the average of the past 40 years - between 1972 and 2012, the figure averaged a reading of 80.2 percent.
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