Output at the nation’s factories, mines and...

Output at the nation’s factories, mines and utilities rose 0.2% in September as gains at steel mills and energy production offset further declines at auto factories, the Federal Reserve reported. The September increase marked the eighth consecutive month without a setback, although the advance was the weakest showing since April when the index had shown no improvement at all. Analysts were generally unconcerned by the slower growth in August, noting that gains in previous months have been much stronger. In August, output rose 0.3% following a large 1.1% jump in July.