New orders for manufactured goods in December, up two consecutive months, increased $5.3 billion or 1.1 percent to $466.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. This followed a 2.2 percent November increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.6 percent.
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Shipments, up seven consecutive months, increased $3.4 billion or 0.7 percent to $459.4 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent November increase. Unfilled orders, up twenty of the last twenty one months, increased $12.7 billion or 1.4 percent to $911.5 billion. This followed a 1.3 percent November increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.00, down from 6.13 in November.
Inventories, up twenty six of the last twenty seven months, increased $0.4 billion or 0.1 percent to $610.1 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.4 percent November increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.33, down from 1.34 in November.
New orders for manufactured durable goods in December, up five of the last six months, increased $6.3 billion or 3.0 percent to $214.3 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a 4.2 percent November increase. Transportation equipment, up two consecutive months, had the largest increase, $3.0 billion or 5.4 percent to $58.3 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods decreased $1.0 billion or 0.4 percent to $251.9 billion.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in December, up two of the last three months, increased $4.4 billion or 2.2 percent to $207.5 billion, revised from the previously published 2.1 percent increase. This followed a 0.2 percent November decrease. Primary metals, up seventeen of the last eighteen months, had the largest increase, $2.3 billion or 8.7 percent to $29.2 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down two of the last three months, decreased $1.0 billion or 0.4 percent to $251.9 billion. This followed a 0.6 percent November increase. Petroleum and coal products, also down two of the last three months, drove the decrease, down $1.5 billion or 2.1 percent to $71.0 billion.
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in December, up twenty of the last twenty one months, increased $12.7 billion or 1.4 percent to $911.5 billion, revised from the previously published 1.5 percent increase. This followed a 1.3 percent November increase. Transportation equipment, up eleven of the last twelve months, had the largest increase, $10.7 billion or 2.1 percent to $529.7 billion. This followed a 1.6 percent November increase.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in December, up twenty four consecutive months, increased $1.1 billion or 0.3 percent to $370.0 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis and followed a 0.5 percent November increase. Transportation equipment, also up twenty four consecutive months, had the largest increase, $1.8 billion or 1.5 percent to $116.4 billion.
Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down following three consecutive monthly increases, decreased $0.7 billion or 0.3 percent to $240.1 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent November increase. Chemical products, down two consecutive months, drove the decrease, down $1.0 billion or 1.3 percent to $72.5 billion. By stage of fabrication, December materials and supplies increased 0.8 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.4 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and 0.4 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.2 percent in durable goods and 0.5 percent in nondurable goods.
