Midwest manufacturing activity grew by 0.6 percent in December, helped by a boost in regional auto-sector output.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said Monday its manufacturing index rose to 104.5 last month, from a revised 103.9 in November.

Regional output in December was 1.8 percent higher than a year earlier, lower than the 3.5 percent increase in national output.

The bank said regional auto sector output was up 1.7 percent; regional Midwest machinery sector output rose by 1.3 percent; and regional resource sector output ticked up 0.1 percent. Meanwhile, steel sector output fell by 1.2 percent.

Three of the subsectors of the resource sector — paper, wood, and food production — increased in December, while the chemicals production subsector was unchanged and nonmetallic minerals production decreased.