Durable Goods New Orders Down 0.5% in April - Modern Distribution Management

Log In

Durable Goods New Orders Down 0.5% in April

Transportation equipment drove the decrease, down 2.5 percent.
Author
Date

New orders for manufactured durable goods in April decreased 0.5 percent to $235.5 billion, according to an advance report from the U.S. Census Bureau. This decrease, down two of the last three months, followed a 5.1 percent March increase.

Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.5 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased 0.2 percent. Transportation equipment, also down two of the last three months, drove the decrease, down 2.5 percent to $77.9 billion.

"The April report as a whole suggests that modest big-ticket spending has resumed after a very weak first quarter," said Cliff Waldman, director of economic studies for the MAPI Foundation, the research affiliate of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation. "Industry sectors that coordinate with multiple supply chains, such as primary and fabricated metals as well as machinery, all logged significant positive gains in April after disquieting contractions in the early months of the year."

"While these data are encouraging, it is clear that the economy’s post–first quarter reawakening will not be as strong as in 2014," Waldman added. "Almost all major indicators of durables spending are down from last year, some significantly."

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in April, down three of the last four months, decreased 0.1 percent to $240.5 billion. This followed a 1.5 percent March increase.

Primary metals, down six of the last seven months, drove the decrease, down 2.1 percent to $21.6 billion.

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in April, down four of the last five months, were virtually unchanged at $1,203.1 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent March increase.

Machinery, down six of the last seven months, drove the decrease, down 0.7 percent to $115.7 billion.

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in April, up twenty-four of the last twenty-five months, increased 0.2 percent to $401.5 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a virtually unchanged March increase. Transportation equipment, up sixteen of the last seventeen months, led the increase, up 0.5 percent to $130.3 billion.

Nondefense new orders for capital goods in April increased 0.3 percent to $81.2 billion. Shipments increased 1.6 percent to $80.2 billion. Unfilled orders increased 0.1 percent to $763.3 billion. Inventories increased 0.2 percent to $177.4 billion.

Defense new orders for capital goods in April decreased 9.5 percent to $8.4 billion. Shipments decreased 2.8 percent to $9.5 billion. Unfilled orders decreased 0.7 percent to $151.4 billion. Inventories increased 2.5 percent to $21.7 billion.

For more detail, download the PDF below.

Click Here


Share this article

About the Author
Recommended Reading
Leave a Reply

Leave a Comment

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

The MDM update newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!

2

articles left

Want more Premium content from MDM?

Subscribe today and get:

  • New issues twice each month
  • Unlimited access to mdm.com, including 10+ years of archived data
  • Current trends analysis, market data and economic updates
  • Discounts on select store products and events

Subscribe to continue reading

MDM Premium Subscribers get:

  • Unlimited access to MDM.com
  • 1 year digital subscription, with new issues twice a month
  • Trends analysis, market data and quarterly economic updates
  • Deals on select store products and events

1

article
left

You have one free article remaining

Subscribe to MDM Premium to get unlimited access. Your subscription includes:

  • Two new issues a month
  • Access to 10+ years of archived data on mdm.com
  • Quarterly economic updates, trends analysis and market data
  • Store and event discounts

To continue reading, you must be an MDM Premium subscriber.

Join other distribution executives who use MDM Premium to optimize their business. Our insights and analysis help you enter the right new markets, turbocharge your sales and marketing efforts, identify business partners that help you scale, and stay ahead of your competitors.

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.