New orders for manufactured durable goods in December, up four of the last five months, increased 5.6% to $286.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This followed a 1.7% November decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.1%. Excluding defense, new orders increased 6.3%. Transportation equipment, also up four of the last five months, drove the increase, 16.7% to $108.1 billion.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in December, up nineteen of the last twenty months, increased 0.5% to $277.7 billion. This followed a 0.4% November increase.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in December, up twenty-three consecutive months, increased 0.7% to $493.6 billion. This followed a 0.2% November increase.
Read the Census release.