American manufacturing isn’t dead yet. In fact, it’s growing

American manufacturing isn’t dead yet. In fact, it’s growing

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The report indicates businesses were increasing orders and output even in the face of the 16-day federal government closing in October. The housing rebound and demand for vehicles, the mainstays of manufacturing, will help to sustain economic growth that’s forecast to cool in the wake of last month’s fiscal gridlock.

“We’ve seen decent growth in manufacturing,” said Brian Jones, senior U.S. economist at Societe Generale in New York, who correctly projected the drop in total production. “Demand is holding up. The economy in general is doing better.”

The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 0.2 percent rise in total industrial production. September output was revised up to a 0.7 percent gain from a previously reported 0.6 percent advance. Estimates of the 84 economists surveyed by Bloomberg ranged from a drop of 0.2 percent to an increase of 0.5 percent.