Capacity Utilisation and the Hidden Slack in the Economy

In this episode of Economic Indicators with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dig into capacity utilisation—an often-overlooked metric that reveals how much industrial slack the economy really has. With the latest reading stuck at 76.1 percent, well below the long-run average of 80 percent, the hosts explain why factories aren't running hot despite decent GDP growth. They connect this to the tepid inflation picture, the Fed's cautious stance, and what it means for investors. Lucas walks through the data from April 2026, contrasts it with the 2021-2022 rebound, and explains why capacity utilisation tends to peak before recessions. Luna asks whether the manufacturing weakness is structural—from reshoring and automation—or just cyclical. The episode closes with a look at the jobs report due this Friday and what a capacity utilisation uptick could signal about the broader economy. #CapacityUtilisation #IndustrialProduction #FedPolicy #Inflation #GDPGrowth #Manufacturing #EconomicSlack #BusinessInvestment #Reshoring #Automation #JobsReport #May2026 #April2026Data #Economics #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #EconomicIndicators #MacroData Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo