US factory output rebounded 0.2 per cent in June

WASHINGTON — U.S. factory output rebounded in June as manufacturers churned out more cars, appliances and furniture, a reassuring sign for U.S. industry.

The Federal Reserve said Friday that factory production rose 0.2 per cent last month, reversing a drop of 0.4 per cent in May. Manufacturing output is up 1.2 per cent from June 2016.

Overall industrial production — including factories, mines and utilities — rose 0.4 per cent after growing 0.1 per cent in May. Industrial production is up 2 per cent over the past year.

Manufacturers have bounced back from a slump in late 2015 and 2016 caused by cutbacks in the energy industry and a stronger dollar that made American products costlier in foreign markets.