WASHINGTON — After leading the economy out of recession last year and then flagging over the summer, manufacturers might be getting a second wind.

Factories boosted their output in October by the most since July, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday. Its report follows several other positive readings on the economy, including data released Monday that showed retail sales rose in October by the most in seven months.

“After a pretty disappointing summer, the economic recovery might be picking up,” said Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics.

And a report Tuesday on wholesale prices showed that the rising production and sales aren’t increasing prices enough to fan inflation fears. That gives the Federal Reserve leeway to carry out its $600 billion bond purchase plan to try to lower interest rates and spur growth.

Manufacturers boosted their production by 0.5 percent in October, the Fed said. The gain was led by increased output of long-lasting goods such as autos, appliances and business equipment. Overall, industrial production was unchanged last month — but only because of a drop in utilities’ output as unusually warm weather reduced demand for heating.