Industrial production in the U.S. unexpectedly shrank in January as factories took a breather after the biggest back-to-back gain in three decades.
Output at factories, mines and utilities fell 0.1 percent after a 0.4 percent gain in December, figures from the Federal Reserve showed today in Washington. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey called for a 0.2 percent rise. Manufacturing, which makes up 75 percent of total production, dropped after revised data for November and December showed the biggest two-month advance since 1984.
