New orders for manufactured durable goods in January decreased $0.4 billion or 0.2 percent to $246.2billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This decrease, down two of the last three months, followed a 2.9 percent December increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.9 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased 3.6 percent. Transportation equipment, down four of the last five months, drove the decrease, $1.8 billion or 2.2 percent to $82.0 billion.
Excluding defense, new orders increased 3.6%.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in January, down seven consecutive months, decreased $0.5billion or 0.2 percent to $250.1 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent December decrease. Transportation equipment, also down seven consecutive months, drove the decrease, $1.3 billion or 1.6 percent to $82.1 billion.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in January, up eighteen of the last nineteen months, increased less than $0.1 billion or virtually unchanged to $435.4 billion. This followed a 0.4 percent December increase.
Read the Census release.
