Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization for April 2000.Released for publication May 15 Industrial production increased 0.9 percent in April after an upward-revised increase of 0.7 percent in March. Manufacturing output increased 0.8 percent, with most major industries posting gains. The output of utilities rebounded 2.8 percent, while output for mining rose 0.4 percent. At 143.7 percent of its 1992 average, industrial production in April was 6.1 percent higher than in April 1999. The rate of capacity utilization Capacity Utilization measures the rate at which a firm makes use of their capital productive capacities, such as factories and machinery. Capacity Utilization generally rises when the economy is healthy and falls when demand softens. for total industry rose 0.4 percentage point, to 82.1 percent, a level about even with the average for 1967 to 1999.
Industrial production and capacity utilization, April 2000
Industrial production,
index, 1992 = 100
Category 2000
Jan.(r) Feb.(r) Mar.(r) Apr.(p)
Total 141.1 141.4 142.4 143.7
Previous estimate 141.5 141.6 142.0 ...
Major market groups
Products, total(2) 129.7 129.9 130.4 131.3
Consumer goods 118.8 118.8 118.9 119.6
Business equipment 179.4 180.2 182.4 184.9
Construction
supplies 136.4 137.1 137.6 137.5
Materials 160.5 160.7 162.8 164.8
Major industry
groups
Manufacturing 146.7 147.0 148.3 149.5
Durable 181.0 181.5 184.0 186.1
Nondurable 113.5 113.7 113.9 114.3
Mining 99.7 99.3 100.3 100.7
Utilities 114.6 115.0 112.9 116.0
Industrial production,
index, 1992 = 100
Percentage change
Category Apr.
1999
2000(1) to
Apr.
Jan.(r) Feb.(r) Mar.(r) Apr.(p) 2000
Total .7 .2 .7 .9 6.1
Previous estimate 1.0 .1 .3 ... ...
Major market groups
Products, total(2) .9 .2 .4 .7 4.1
Consumer goods .6 .0 .0 .6 2.7
Business equipment 2.2 .5 1.3 1.3 9.1
Construction 1.1 .5 .4 -.1 4.7
supplies
Materials .5 .1 1.3 1.2 9.3
Major industry
groups
Manufacturing .8 .2 .9 .8 6.6
Durable 1.5 .2 1.4 1.2 9.9
Nondurable -.2 .1 .2 .3 2.5
Mining .2 -.5 1.0 .4 4.1
Utilities .9 .4 -1.8 2.8 -.2
Capacity utilization, percent
1999 2000
Average, Low, High,
1967-99 1982 1988-89
Apr. Jan.(r)
Total 82.0 71.1 85.4 80.4 81.4
Previous estimate ... ... ... ... 81.6
Manufacturing 81.1 69.0 85.7 79.5 80.7
Advanced processing 80.5 70.4 84.2 78.5 79.7
Primary processing 82.4 66.2 88.9 82.6 83.9
Mining 87.3 80.3 88.0 80.4 83.1
Utilities 87.5 75.9 92.6 91.4 89.2
MEMO
Capacity utilization, Capacity,
percent percentage
change,
2000 Apr. 1999
to
Feb.(r) Mar.(r) Apr.(r) Apr. 2000
Total 81.3 81.7 82.1 3.8
Previous estimate 81.5 81.4 ... ...
Manufacturing 80.6 81.0 81.4 4.2
Advanced processing 79.6 80.1 80.4 5.2
Primary processing 83.5 84.0 84.3 1.9
Mining 82.9 83.8 84.2 -.7
Utilities 89.4 87.7 90.1 1.3
NOTE. Data seasonally adjusted or calculated
from seasonally adjusted monthly data.
(1.) Change from preceding month.
(2.) Contains components in addition to those shown.
(r) Revised.
(p) Preliminary.
MARKET GROUPS The output of consumer goods consumer goods Any tangible commodity purchased by households to satisfy their wants and needs. Consumer goods may be durable or nondurable. Durable goods (e.g., autos, furniture, and appliances) have a significant life span, often defined as three years or more, and , which had been flat during February February: see month. and March, increased 0.6 percent in April. The output of durable consumer goods, which increased 1.4 percent, was boosted by a further rebound rebound (rē´bownd), n/v 1. a recovery from illness. n 2. an outbreak of fresh reflex activity after withdrawal of a stimulus rebound adjective in the production of automotive products since the dip dip, in agriculture, method of treating animals (chiefly livestock) infested with skin parasites such as mites, ticks, and warbles. The animal is dipped into or forced to swim through a tank filled with an insecticide solution. in February. The production of other durable consumer goods increased 0.6 percent, a rate about in line with the average for the previous three months; ongoing strength in the production of video and audio equipment and computers more than offset a 3.9 percent fall in the output of appliances. The production of nondurable non·du·ra·ble adj. Not enduring; being in a state of constant consumption: nondurable items such as paper products. n. A consumable item: nondurables such as food. consumer goods rose 0.4 percent and was led by a sharp rebound in the output of energy products; the output of nondurable non-energy consumer products rose 0.2 percent after having edged down in March. The production of business equipment rose 1.3 percent in March and again in April, a rate close to the average pace over the January-February period. The production of information processing information processing: see data processing. information processing Acquisition, recording, organization, retrieval, display, and dissemination of information. Today the term usually refers to computer-based operations. and related equipment increased 1.6 percent in April, led by continued gains in the output of computers and communication equipment. The output of industrial equipment was up 0.7 percent, with increases widespread among the component series. The production index for the "other equipment" category rose 3.9 percent, after having risen 3.4 percent in March; the recent surge See power surge. SURGE - Sorter, Updater, Report Generator, Etc. IBM 704, 1959. Sammet 1969, p.8. in the output of this industry group reflects the continued recovery in the production of farm machinery and equipment after a significant contraction contraction, in physics contraction, in physics: see expansion. contraction, in grammar contraction, in writing: see abbreviation. contraction - reduction during the middle of 1999. The output of transit transit, in astronomy, passage of a body across a meridian or passage of a small body across the visible disk of a larger one. (The passage of a large body across a smaller one is called an eclipse or occultation. equipment edged up 0.2 percent, as a rebound in assemblies of light vehicles more than offset declines in the production of medium and heavy trucks and of commercial aircraft and equipment. The production of construction supplies, which increased an average of 0.7 percent per month in the first quarter, edged down 0.1 percent in April but remained more than 4 1/2 percent above its level a year ago. The output of materials gained 1.2 percent in April. The output of durable goods durable goods Goods, such as appliances and automobiles, that have a useful life over a number of periods. Firms that produce durable goods are often subject to wide fluctuations in sales and profits. Also called consumer durables. materials rose 1.3 percent, with another strong increase in equipment parts, particularly semiconductors. The output of energy materials rose 1.4 percent, while the production of nondurable goods materials gained 0.7 percent. INDUSTRY GROUPS Manufacturing output rose 0.8 percent in April; most major industries posted gains. Production in durable manufacturing industries manufacturing industries npl → industrias fpl manufactureras manufacturing industries npl → industries fpl de transformation increased 1.2 percent after a 1.4 percent increase in March. The production of electrical machinery rose 2 percent, led by a 3 percent gain in the output of semiconductors and related equipment; semiconductor output increased about 5 1/2 percent per month during the first quarter. The production of industrial machinery and equipment (which includes computers) increased 1 1/2 percent in April, a rate about equaling the average pace in the preceding two months. In contrast, the output of aircraft and parts continued to decline, in part because of a strike at a producer of military aircraft. After having changed little in the first quarter, production in nondurable manufacturing increased 0.3 percent in April to a level 2 1/2 percent higher than in April 1999. Among nondurable manufacturing industries, the only substantial output decline occurred in the petroleum products industry. The factory operating rate Operating rate The percentage of total production capacity of a company, industry, or country that is being used. operating rate The portion of capacity at which a business operates. rose to 81.4 percent in April, rising above its 1967-99 average for the first time since May 1998. Utilization utilization, n 1. the extent to which a given group uses a particular service in a specified period. Although usually expressed as the number of services used per year per 100 or per 1000 persons eligible for the service, utilization rates may be in primary-processing industries increased to 84.3 percent, while that for advanced-processing industries advanced to 80.4 percent. Output at utilities, which had fallen back 1.8 percent in March, was up 2.8 percent in April; the operating rate at utilities rose to 90.1 percent. Production at mines increased 0.4 percent after having risen 1 percent in March. The utilization rate at mines increased to 84.2 percent but remained noticeably no·tice·a·ble adj. 1. Evident; observable: noticeable changes in temperature; a noticeable lack of friendliness. 2. Worthy of notice; significant. below its long-term Long-term Three or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year. long-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. average. [Graphs This partial list of graphs contains definitions of graphs and graph families which are known by particular names, but do not have a Wikipedia article of their own. For collected definitions of graph theory terms that do not refer to individual graph types, such as omitted] |
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