Research >> Economics
New orders for manufactured goods increased 1.0%
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New orders for manufactured goods in December, up eight of the last nine months, increased $3.7 billion or 1.0 percent to $370.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.0 percent November increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 1.2 percent.
Shipments, up six of the last seven months, increased $7.0 billion or 1.9 percent to $383.1 billion. This followed a 1.6 percent November increase.
Unfilled orders, down fifteen consecutive months, decreased $7.4 billion or 1.0 percent to $716.7 billion. This was the longest streak of consecutive monthly decreases since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992. This followed a 0.7 percent November decrease. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 5.46, down from 5.65 in November.
Inventories, down following two consecutive monthly increases, decreased $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to $495.0 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent November increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.29, down from 1.32 in November.
Posted: February 4, 2010 Thursday 10:00 AM