Research >> Economics
April New Orders for Durable Goods Decreased 0.5%, Ex-Trans up 0.5%
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New orders for manufactured durable goods in April decreased $1.2 billion or 0.5 percent to $235.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This decrease, down two of the last three months, followed a 5.1 percent March increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.5 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased 0.2 percent. Transportation equipment, also down two of the last three months, drove the decrease, $2.0 billion or 2.5 percent to $77.9 billion.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in April, down three of the last four months, decreased $0.1 billion or 0.1 percent to $240.5 billion. This followed a 1.5 percent March increase. Primary metals, down six of the last seven months, drove the decrease, $0.5 billion or 2.1 percent to $21.6 billion.
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in April, down four of the last five months, decreased $0.3 billion, or virtually unchanged, to $1,203.1 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent March increase. Machinery, down six of the last seven months, drove the decrease, $0.9 billion or 0.7 percent to $115.7 billion.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in April, up twenty-four of the last twenty-five months, increased $0.9 billion or 0.2 percent to $401.5 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a virtually unchanged March increase. Transportation equipment, up sixteen of the last seventeen months, led the increase, $0.6 billion or 0.5 percent to $130.3 billion.
Nondefense new orders for capital goods in April increased $0.3 billion or 0.3 percent to $81.2 billion. Shipments increased $1.3 billion or 1.6 percent to $80.2 billion. Unfilled orders increased $1.1 billion or 0.1 percent to $763.3 billion. Inventories increased $0.3 billion or 0.2 percent to $177.4 billion. Defense new orders for capital goods in April decreased $0.9 billion or 9.5 percent to $8.4 billion. Shipments decreased $0.3 billion or 2.8 percent to $9.5 billion. Unfilled orders decreased $1.0 billion or 0.7 percent to $151.4 billion. Inventories increased $0.5 billion or 2.5 percent to $21.7 billion.
Revised and recently benchmarked seasonally adjusted March figures for all manufacturing industries were: new orders, $478.5 billion (revised from $477.8 billion); shipments, $482.4 billion (revised from $482.7 billion); unfilled orders, $1,203.5 billion (revised from $1,202.6 billion); and total inventories, $647.8 billion (revised from $648.4 billion).
Posted: May 26, 2015 Tuesday 08:30 AM