U.S. factory production unexpectedly contracted in January, shrinking the most in eight months on weakness in the automotive sector and indicating a weak start to the year as headwinds including a trade war with China weighed on factories.
Manufacturing output fell 0.9 percent after a downwardly revised 0.8 percent increase in the prior month, Federal Reserve data showed Friday. The results missed the Bloomberg survey median forecast calling for an unchanged reading. Total industrial production, which also includes mines and utilities, contracted 0.6 percent after a revised 0.1 percent rise that was also revised down.
