WASHINGTON �?? U.S. factories are roaring back from the depths of the recession, cranking out more machinery, vehicles and energy.
Factory production has surged 15 percent above its lows of 2 ½ years ago and is helping drive the economy�??s recovery.
A jump in manufacturing output last month coincided with other data suggesting that the economy began 2012 with renewed vigor. Wholesale prices are tame. Demand for U.S. Treasury debt should help keep borrowing costs low. Even homebuilders are more optimistic.
Signs are �??that manufacturing in the U.S. is gaining global market share appears to be growing, and this could be an important dynamic supporting growth in 2012,�?� said John Ryding of RDQ Economics.
Manufacturing rose 0.9 percent from November to December, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday. It was the biggest monthly gain in a year.
Factories benefited in particular in the second half of 2011 from several trends: People bought more cars. Businesses spent more on industrial machinery and computers before a tax incentive expired. And companies restocked their supplies after cutting them last summer.
The growth has fueled more hiring. Factories added 23,000 jobs in December, the most since July. That helped reduce the unemployment rate to 8.5 percent, the lowest level in nearly three years.