New orders for manufactured goods increased 1.6% to $584.5 billion in March, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This followed a 1.2% February increase.
New orders for manufactured durable goods rose 2.6% to $283.3 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a 0.7% February increase. Transportation equipment led the increase, up 7.8% to $95.9 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods increased 0.6% to $301.2 billion.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in March edged down 0.1% to $282.1 billion, down from the previously published virtually unchanged decrease. Transportation equipment, down three of the last four months, drove the decrease with a 0.6% decline to $89.3 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up two consecutive months, increased 0.6% to $301.2 billion, following a 1.7% February increase.
Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up two consecutive months, ticked up 0.2% to $329.9 billion. This followed a 0.3% February increase.
Read the Census release.
