US industrial ouput falls 5.4% in March as virus strikes: Federal Reserve

WASHINGTON: US industrial production fell 5.4 percent in March as the coronavirus pandemic forced factories to close their doors and workers to stay home, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday. It was largest decline since 1946.

Manufacturing output dropped 6.3 percent, also the biggest fall in more than seven decades, which was felt across most industries, with the largest drop seen in motor vehicles and parts.