U.S. Industrial Output Beats Expectations in September

Manufacturing output contributed to the momentum with a 0.3% rise, maintaining an annual growth rate of 0.7% through the third quarter. The durable goods sector saw steady performance, supported by gains in primary metals, machinery, and electrical equipment. Meanwhile, output from utilities spiked 3.5% as mining activity recorded a modest 0.2% uptick.

Industrial capacity utilization reached 76.9% in September, a 0.5 percentage point improvement that surpassed the 76.5% consensus estimate. Despite this growth, the measure remains 2.5 percentage points below its long-run average, suggesting room for further acceleration in factory and utility operations.