Factory Output Gained More Than Forecast in June

Manufacturing last month posted the strongest advance since January, helped by automobile production and a sign that domestic demand is improving, a Federal Reserve report showed July 15.

The 0.4 percent gain at factories, which make up 75 percent of total industrial production, followed a 0.3 percent decline in May. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of 25 economists called for a 0.3 percent rise.

Total industrial production, which also includes mines and utilities, climbed 0.6 percent, double the median forecast and the biggest jump in almost a year.

Stabilization in oil and commodities prices and the fading drag ...