Industrial production decreased 0.5% in February after increasing 0.8% in January. Analysts were predicting 0.2% decrease. Sizable declines in the indexes for both utilities and mining in February outweighed a gain of 0.2% for manufacturing. The output of utilities dropped 4.0%, as unseasonably warm weather curbed the demand for heating. Mining production fell 1.4% and has decreased nearly 1.3% per month, on average, over the past six months.
At 106.3 percent of its 2012 average, total industrial production in February was 1.0 percent below its year-earlier level. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector decreased 0.4 percentage point in February to 76.7 percent, a rate that is 3.3 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2015) average.
Euro is currently being traded few points above 1.1060 level, Sterling is around 1.4050 handle, while Aussie is at 0.7420 area. Later today,
FOMC rate decision is scheduled for a release.