US industrial output falls 1pc

Washington: The output of US industry fell one percent in December last year compared to the same month of 2018, driven by drops in a manufacturing sector impacted by bitter trade wars, the Fed reported on Friday.

American manufacturing, which has been in recession for months, saw production fall 1.3 percent in the final month of 2019 compared to a year earlier, the Fed said.

Petroleum and coal production which has seen strong gains in some months, including December, was 1.2 percent lower than a year ago, according to the report.

Total output in December dipped 0.3 percent compared to November, but that was skewed by a large drop-off in utilities due to unseasonably warm weather last month, which came after colder than usual temperatures in November.