New orders for manufactured goods in March, up three consecutive months, increased $25.7 billion or 4.3% to $618.8 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 0.5% February increase.
New orders for manufactured durable goods in March, up three consecutive months, increased $26.6 billion or 9.2% to $315.7 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a 0.8% February increase. Transportation equipment, also up three consecutive months, led the increase, $26.6 billion or 27.1% to $124.6 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods decreased $0.9 billion or 0.3% to $303.2 billion.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in March, up four consecutive months, increased $0.3 billion or 0.1% to $293.0 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a 1.3% February increase. Primary metals, up six of the last seven months, led the increase, $0.3 billion or 1.2% to $28.0 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down following five consecutive monthly increases, decreased $0.9 billion or 0.3% to $303.2 billion. This followed a 0.1% February increase.
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in March, up eight of the last nine months, increased $27.6 billion or 2.0% to $1,429.4 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a 0.1% February increase. Transportation equipment, also up eight of the last nine months, drove the increase, $28.1 billion or 3.1% to $931.6 billion.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in March, up five consecutive months, increased $0.5 billion or 0.1% to $533.3 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a virtually unchanged February increase. Machinery, up four of the last five months, led the increase, $0.2 billion or 0.2%, to $94.5 billion. Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up five consecutive months, increased $0.2 billion or 0.1% to $332.0 billion. This followed a 0.3% February increase.
Read the Census release.
