New orders for manufactured durable goods decreased 2.0 percent to $236.3 billion in August, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The August decrease followed a 1.9 percent July increase. The majority of the decline can be attributed to a 5.8 percent drop in new orders for transportation equipment. Excluding transportation, new orders were virtually unchanged for the month.
New orders excluding defense fell 1.0 percent or $2.2 billion. Orders of non-defense capital goods declined 2.0 percent to $80.4 billion, and shipments grew 1.8 percent to $80.8 billion.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods was virtually unchanged, falling by less than $0.1 billion following a $2.4 billion increase in July.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods were also largely unchanged in August at $401.4 billion, following a 0.2 percent decrease in July.
Read the Census release.
