U.S. manufacturing output rose for a fifth straight month in October, shrugging off a sharp drop in motor vehicle production and suggesting underlying strength in factory activity despite growing headwinds that are expected to slow the sector in 2019.

The Federal Reserve said Friday manufacturing production rose 0.3 percent last month. Data for September was revised up to show output at factories increasing 0.3 percent instead of advancing 0.2 percent as previously reported.

Economists polled previously had forecast manufacturing output rising 0.2 percent in October. Manufacturing, which accounts for more than 12 percent of the U.S. economy, is expected to slow down next year in part as the stimulus from the Trump’s administration’s US$1.5 trillion tax cut package fades.

Manufacturing surveys have suggested a moderation in factory activity amid labor shortages as well as more expensive raw materials caused by the White House’s protectionist trade policy.

A strong U.S. dollar, which has gained about 8.1 percent this year against the currencies of the United States’ main trade partners, is also hurting exports, and there are signs of slowing growth in other economies.

“The manufacturing sector is still coping fairly well with the dollar’s recent appreciation and the slowdown in global growth,” said Andrew Hunter, a U.S. economist at Capital Economics in London.

“But the recent weakening in the global manufacturing PMIs, particularly in China, suggests that the current strength of the factory sector is unlikely to be sustained,” Hunter said, referring to purchasing managers’ indexes.

U.S. financial markets were little moved by the data, with traders focused on worries about a slowing global economy. The dollar fell against a basket of currencies, while U.S. Treasury prices rose.

Motor vehicle production slumped 2.8 percent in October after rising 1.3 percent in September. Economists blamed the drop on U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, and warned of further harm to production if the duties were not scrapped.

Excluding motor vehicles and parts, manufacturing gained a solid 0.5 percent last month, boosted by a strong increase in the output of business equipment. That followed a 0.2-percent rise in September.

Business equipment production increased 0.8 percent, matching September’s rise. The strong gains suggest a pickup in business spending on equipment in the fourth quarter after it stalled in the July-September period. (SD-Agencies)