The U.S. Census Bureau released the October advance report on durable goods manufacturers’ shipments, inventories and orders. Findings include:
New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in October, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, increased $0.7 billion or 0.2 percent to $286.6 billion. This followed a 0.4 percent September decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.1 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased 0.4 percent. Transportation equipment, also up following two consecutive monthly decreases, led the increase, $0.4 billion or 0.5 percent to $97.1 billion.
Shipments
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in October, down three consecutive months, decreased $1.6 billion or 0.6 percent to $285.2 billion. This followed a 0.8 percent September decrease. Transportation equipment, also down three consecutive months, drove the decrease, $1.9 billion or 2.1 percent to $92.0 billion.
Unfilled Orders
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in October, up fifty of the last fifty-one months, increased $6.1 billion or 0.4 percent to $1,398.8 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent September increase. Transportation equipment, up forty-five of the last forty-six months, led the increase, $5.1 billion or 0.6 percent to $901.9 billion.
Inventories
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in October, down four of the last five months, decreased $0.2 billion or virtually unchanged to $527.7 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent September decrease. Transportation equipment, also down four of the last five months, drove the decrease, $0.4 billion or 0.2
percent to $170.5 billion.
Capital Goods
Nondefense new orders for capital goods in October increased $1.2 billion or 1.4 percent to $86.2 billion. Shipments decreased $1.6 billion or 1.9 percent to $83.0 billion. Unfilled orders increased $3.2 billion or 0.4 percent to $843.5 billion. Inventories decreased $1.1 billion or 0.5 percent to $230.6 billion. Defense new orders for capital goods in October decreased $0.7 billion or 4.0 percent to $17.3 billion. Shipments increased $0.5 billion or 3.8 percent to $14.9 billion. Unfilled orders increased $2.5 billion or 1.2 percent to $211.3 billion. Inventories increased $0.4 billion or 1.5 percent to $26.0 billion.
Revised September Data
Revised seasonally adjusted September figures for all manufacturing industries were: new orders, $585.5 billion (revised from $584.2 billion); shipments, $586.5 billion (revised from $586.9 billion); unfilled orders, $1,392.7 billion (revised from $1,391.0 billion) and total inventories, $857.3 billion (revised from $858.1 billion).
