WASHINGTON, June 15 (UPI) -- The March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan continued to hamper U.S. manufacturing in May, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.
U.S. industrial production rose 0.1 percent in May compared to April, the Fed said.
The figure reflects growth or contraction in manufacturing, mining and utilities. Manufacturing is the component affected by the earthquake "because of supply chain disruptions," especially in the automotive industry, the Fed said.
Excluding automobile production, manufacturing output rose 0.6 percent in May. Including automobiles, manufacturing rose 0.4 percent after falling 0.5 percent in April.
The Fed said production at the nation's mines rose 0.5 percent in May and output at utility companies declined 2.8 percent.
Capacity utilization -- measuring production as a percentage of manufacturing, mining and utilities operating at full steam -- was flat at 76.7 percent, 3.7 percentage points below its average from 1972 to 2010, the Fed said.
