U.S. industrial production up 0.6% in December (by Rex Nutting)

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The output of the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in December, the sixth increase in a row following the worst downturn since the end of World War II, the Federal Reserve reported Friday. Colder-than-usual weather contributed to the gain in December, with utility production rising a seasonally adjusted 5.9%. The output of factories dropped 0.1% in November after a 0.9% gain in November, repeating the see-saw pattern of the past four months. Output of mines rose 0.2%. For all of 2009, output plunged 9.7%, the steepest yearly decline since output fell 13.7% in 1946.