Factory Production in U.S. Unexpectedly Decreased in March

Factory production in the U.S. unexpectedly dropped in March, adding to recent signs that manufacturing is cooling.

Output at factories fell 0.1 percent, figures from the Federal Reserve showed today in Washington, compared with 0.1 percent increase forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists. Total industrial production, which includes manufacturing, mining and utilities, climbed 0.4 percent as colder-than-normal temperatures drove the biggest gain in electricity and natural-gas use in six years.