US September Industrial Production Beats Expectations With 0.7% Rise as Utilities Surge

United States industrial production increased by 0.7% month-over-month in September, topping forecasts of 0.4% following an upwardly revised 0.1% gain in August. Total capacity utilization advanced to 76.9%, surpassing expectations of 76.5%. Growth was led by a 3.5% surge in utilities output, while manufacturing output rebounded 0.3% and mining rose 0.2%. Performance diverged across sectors: semiconductor output increased 2.1% on the month, whereas motor vehicles and parts dropped 3.0%. Excluding high-tech sectors, factory output recorded a modest 0.2% increase.