New orders for manufactured goods in December, down four of the last five months, decreased $5.2 billion or 0.9% to $578.5 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This followed a 0.8% November decrease.
New orders for manufactured durable goods in December, down four of the last five months, decreased $6.2 billion or 2.2% to $276.1 billion, unchanged from the previously published decrease. This followed a 2.0% November decrease. Transportation equipment, also down four of the last five months, drove the decrease, $6.9 billion or 7.4%, to $86.1 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods increased $1.0 billion or 0.3% to $302.4 billion.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in December, up following four consecutive monthly decreases, increased $2.7 billion or 0.9% to $287.3 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a 0.3% November decrease. Transportation equipment, also up following four consecutive monthly decreases, led the increase, $2.6 billion or 2.8% to $93.3 billion.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in December, up two consecutive months, increased $2.2 billion or 0.4% to $532.7 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a 0.5% November increase. Transportation equipment, also up two consecutive months, led the increase, $1.9 billion or 1.1% to $174.5 billion.
Read the Census release.