"Us Manufacturing Capacity Utilization Hits Five Year High"

Marketwatch reports:

For all of 2005, industrial production increased 3.2%, compared with a 4.1% gain in 2004. Capacity utilization increased by 1 percentage point from December 2004 and is now 0.3 percentage points below its long—time average. Read the full report.

Manufacturing output rose 7.9% in the fourth quarter on a rebound from the hurricanes. "The fourth—quarter gain ... was the strongest in six years," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist for Global Insight.

While this could persuade the Fed to raise interest rates, it is overall a highly positive sign for the economy.

Ed Lasky  1 17 06