Industrial production rose a moderate 0.3% (2.3% y/y) last month following a revised 1.0% November jump, initially reported as 1.1%. A 0.2% gain had been expected in the Action Economics survey. For the year, output rose 3.7% after a 4.1% jump in 2011. Unseasonably warm temperatures helped cause a 4.7% (-0.2% y/y) decline in utility output. That left factory output to rise a firmer 0.8% (2.4% y/y), though that still was below the 1.3% November rebound following Hurricane Sandy. For the year factory output rose 4.1%, about as it did in 2011.

In the factory sector, output of business equipment posted a strong 1.3% rise last month which left the y/y advance at 8.7%. Offsetting this strength was no change (1.0% y/y) in the production of consumer goods. A strong 2.6% rise (17.2% y/y) in the output of motor vehicles & parts was countered by a 1.6% decline (+5.5% y/y) in electronic equipment and appliances. Computers & electronics production rose 1.6% (1.9% y/y). Overall, manufacturing output excluding high tech and motor vehicles rose 0.7% (1.3% y/y) during December. The rise of 3.2% for 2012 compared to 3.7% in 2011 and 3.6% during 2010.

The capacity utilization rate ticked up to 78.8% in December and for the year the utilization rate was roughly unchanged at 78.7%. In the factory sector, the rate rose to 77.4%, its highest level since July. During 2012, the capacity utilization rate averaged 77.2% versus 75.0% during 2011.

Industrial production and capacity data are included in Haver's USECON database, with additional detail in the IP database. The expectations figure is in the AS1REPNA database.