June 16, 2006	Friday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 19, 1427

WASHINGTON, June 15: US industrial production fell 0.1pc in May after a 0.8pc jump the prior month, the Federal Reserve said on Thursday.

The report showed the first decline since January and was below market estimates of a 0.2pc increase in output.Year over year, industrial production — a measure of activity of US factories, mines and utilities -— is up 4.3pc.

Factory utilisation, a sign of slack in the industrial economy and a harbinger of inflation, dipped 0.2 percentage points to 81.7pc.—AFP