Manufacturing output — which makes up 75 percent of all U.S. factory production — climbed 0.5 percent in August, the fourth consecutive increase, according to Fed data released this month.

"Industrial-production growth is slow but positive," according to Kurt Rankin, an economist at PNC Financial Services Group Inc. in Pittsburgh, who forecasts a 0.3 percent increase in September from August. This indicates the "gradual" U.S. expansion is still in place, he said.

 
Rising Output
Gross domestic product climbed at a 1.0 percent annual rate in the second quarter, after almost stalling with a 0.4 percent gain from January-March, Commerce Department data show. GDP will rise 1.6 percent this year, according to the median estimate of 63 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

The order rate for Kennametal Inc., the No. 1 supplier of cutting tools used by manufacturers including Caterpillar Inc. and Boeing Co., increased at a 20 percent annual pace in August, excluding acquisitions, divestitures and workdays, the company said in a Sept. 15 statement. Kennametal's end markets "continued to reflect strong demand," and its industrial business showed "ongoing strength," the company said.

The Latrobe, Pennsylvania-based company is a "good barometer" for industrial production, according to Sheila Kahyaoglu, a New York-based analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG. Kahyaoglu maintains an "outperform" rating on the stock because its order rate, while poised to slow, will continue to grow at a rate faster than consensus forecasts.

 
Bullish About Manufacturing
Hatfield is bullish about U.S. manufacturing output even amid concerns that the world economy is slowing. The International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for global growth this week, projecting expansion of 4 percent this year, compared with a June forecast of 4.3 percent.

Hatfield maintains "outperform" ratings on Union Pacific Corp., Norfolk Southern Corp. and CSX Corp., the three largest U.S. railroads, because "valuations are attractive given our earnings estimates, which include the impact of slow growth."

Between March 13, 2009, and July 1, 2011, the Standard & Poor's Supercomposite Railroads Index — which includes the three companies — rose 200 percent, while the S&P 500 Index grew 77 percent, Bloomberg data show. Since July, the railroads index has fallen 23 percent, compared with the S&P 500's 14 percent decline.

 
'Some Pickup'
The recent underperformance is driven by investor concern about a recession, Hatfield said. The Fed noted in its Sept. 7 Beige Book report that "most" manufacturers were less optimistic than in its July survey. On Sept. 21, Fed policy makers said they expect "some pickup in the pace of recovery over coming quarters," adding there are "significant downside risks" to their outlook.

Hatfield still projects rail-car shipments will grow in the "low single digits" for the second half of this year, even though third-quarter volumes may be lighter than forecast because of weather-related disruptions, he said.

FedEx Corp., operator of the world's biggest cargo airline, cut its full-year profit and industrial production forecasts yesterday, as volumes declined amid a slowing economic recovery. The Memphis-based company now projects U.S. output will rise 3.9 percent in 2012, Executive Vice President Michael Glenn said on a conference call. This is down from its previous forecast of 4.3 percent, said Jesse Bunn, a company spokesman.

Consumer sentiment remains the biggest drag on economic improvement, Glenn said. Still, FedEx expects "modest growth to continue."

 
No Indication of Declines
Similarly, since reporting quarterly earnings in July, the three largest U.S. railroads haven't given any indication of a sharp decline in demand similar to 2008 and 2009, when volumes fell as much as 24 percent on an annual basis.

Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific had its strongest weekly volume so far this year — almost 187,000 carloads — prior to Labor Day, Chief Financial Officer Robert Knight said at a Sept. 21 conference hosted by Citigroup Inc. It continues to see "solid demand" across most business segments, including shipments of industrial products, up 8 percent annually as of Sept. 15 for the quarter ending Sept. 30, he said.

Norfolk Southern, based in Norfolk, Virginia, maintains an outlook "which is still upbeat despite some of the macro indicators," Chief Financial Officer James Squires said at the Citigroup conference on the same date. Total railcar shipments are up about 3 percent on an annual basis so far for the three- month period ending Sept. 30, he said.

 
'Doing Okay'
Industrial volumes for Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX have increased about 5 percent since last year through August for the quarter ending Sept. 30, Vice President Fredrik Eliasson said yesterday at the Citigroup conference. Even amid recent "moderating," the economy continues to grow and the company is "doing okay from a volume perspective," he said.

Earlier this month, CSX's Chief Financial Officer Oscar Munoz said he isn't concerned about "any kind of overarching sort of dire circumstances around the corner," as there is still a "general level of optimism" among customers and suppliers.

"Sure, things have moderated, but there is no one in that near state of panic that we saw certainly in late '08 and '09," Munoz said at a Sept. 8 conference hosted by UBS AG.

 Bloomberg News

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