WASHINGTON — New government data offered a mixed picture of the economic recovery Tuesday as U.S. manufacturing activity grew in July at the fastest pace in nearly a year while the outlook for the housing market remained dim.
Auto plants stayed open when they normally close for summer renovations, and businesses replaced worn-out equipment. That helped boost factory output 1.1 percent — the biggest increase since August 2009.
Overall output at the nation’s factories, mines and utilities rose 1.0 percent last month, the Federal Reserve reported. That followed a decline of 0.1 percent in June, the first drop in more than a year.
Construction of new homes and apartments rose 1.7 percent last month, the Commerce Department said. But the gains were driven by a 32.6 percent surge in apartment and condominium construction, a small fraction of the market.
Single-family home construction, which represents nearly 80 percent of the market, fell 4.2 percent. And requests for building permits, a sign of future activity, slid 3.1 percent.
Separately, the Labor Department said wholesale prices rose last month on higher costs of food, cars and light trucks. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called “core” producer prices rose 0.3 percent in July, the ninth straight increase.
