INDUSTRIAL production in the United States fell in September for the first time since the recession ended, as weak consumer demand led factories to pull back.

The US Federal Reserve reports that output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities dropped 0.2 percent last month.

Industrial production grew 4.8 percent in the July-September quarter, slower than the 7 percent gains in each of the first two quarters of this year.

Factory output, the largest element of industrial production, fell 0.2 percent last month. Manufacturing posted monthly gains for the first year after the recession ended in June 2009.