New orders for manufactured goods in April, down three of the last four months, decreased $2.9 billion or 0.6 percent to $466.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. This followed a 2.1 percent March decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 1.1 percent.
| We Deliver Distribution News to Your Inbox Sign up below to receive MDM Update, your free weekly distribution news update by email. |
Shipments, down following four consecutive monthly increases, decreased $1.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $473.2 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent March increase. Unfilled orders, down following twenty-seven consecutive monthly increases, decreased $0.8 billion or 0.1 percent to $985.4 billion. This followed a slight March increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.33, up from 6.29 in March.
Inventories, up twenty-two of the last twenty-three months, increased $0.1 billion to $607.2 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.1 percent March increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.28, unchanged from March.
New orders for manufactured durable goods in April, down three of the last four months, decreased $0.1 billion to $215.2 billion, revised from the previously published 0.2 percent increase. This followed a 3.7 percent March decrease. Machinery, also down three of the last four months, had the largest decrease, $0.9 billion or 2.9 percent to $31.0 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods decreased $2.9 billion or 1.1 percent to $250.8 billion.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in April, up four of the last five months, increased $1.4 billion or 0.6 percent to $222.5 billion, revised from the previously published 0.7 percent increase. This followed a 0.9 percent March increase. Transportation equipment, also up four of the last five months, had the largest increase, $1.9 billion or 3.1 percent to $63.8 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down two consecutive months, decreased $2.9 billion or 1.1 percent to $250.8 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent March decrease. Petroleum and coal products, also down two consecutive months, drove the decrease, down $3.2 billion or 4.4 percent to $69.8 billion. This was the largest decline in petroleum and coal products since a 7.9 percent decrease in July 2009.
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in April, down following twenty-seven consecutive monthly increases, decreased $0.8 billion or 0.1 percent to $985.4 billion, unchanged from the previously published decrease. This followed a slight March increase. Transportation equipment, down two consecutive months, had the largest decrease, $1.6 billion or 0.3 percent to $566.5 billion.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in April, up twenty-seven of the last twenty-eight months, increased $1.2 billion or 0.3 percent to $364.2 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 0.4 percent March increase. Machinery, up twenty-five of the last twenty-six months, had the largest increase, $1.1 billion or 1.6 percent to $65.2 billion.
Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down two consecutive months, decreased $1.2 billion or 0.5 percent to $243.1 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent March decrease. Petroleum and coal products, also down two consecutive months, led the decrease, down $0.9 billion or 1.6 percent to $55.0 billion. By stage of fabrication, April materials and supplies increased 0.1 percent in durable goods and 1.2 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.4 percent in durable goods and decreased 4.1 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 0.5 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.2 percent in nondurable goods.
For more details, download the pdf below.
