US factory output slips in July on tumbling auto production

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factory output fell in July, pulled down by tumbling auto production.

The Federal Reserve says factory production dropped 0.1 percent last month. Overall industrial production — which adds output by mines and utilities — rose 0.2 percent. Mining output rose 0.5 percent, and utility production rose 1.6 percent.

The Fed inadvertently released the report on its website before the scheduled release time of 9:15 a.m. Eastern.

The drop in automotive production was partially offset by a 0.2 percent rise in other manufacturing production.

American manufacturers had bounced back from a slump in late 2015 and early 2016 caused by cutbacks in the energy industry and a strong dollar, which makes U.S. goods costlier in foreign markets. But the Fed says manufacturing output has been flat since February.