Industrial Production Gains for Third Straight Month

January 17, 2006 11:00 AM, EST

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ndustrial production rose for the third consecutive month in December, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday.

The 0.6% gain at factories, mines and utilities followed a followed a revised 0.8% gain in December, the Fed reported.

The growth rate exceeded economists’ forecasts of 0.5%, Bloomberg reported.

The share or industrial capacity in use rose to 80.7%, the highest since November 2000, from 80.3% a month earlier. That level was forecast to rise to 80.5%, Bloomberg reported.

The factory sector is one of trucking’s largest and most important customers.