) The U.S. Census Bureau announced the April advance report on durable goods manufacturers’ shipments, inventories and orders: New Orders – New orders for manufactured durable goods in April, up two consecutive months, increased $25.5 billion or 7.9 percent to $346.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This followed a 1.3 percent March increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 1.1 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased 8.1 percent. Transportation equipment, also up two consecutive months, led the increase, $23.1 billion or 21.5 percent to $130.9 billion. Shipments – Shipments of manufactured durable goods in April, up seven of the last eight months, increased $1.7 billion or 0.5 percent to $324.3 billion. This followed a 0.8 percent March increase. Transportation equipment, up six of the last seven months, led the increase, $0.7 billion or 0.7 percent to $107.7 billion. Unfilled Orders – Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in April, up twenty-one of the last twenty-two months, increased $26.7 billion or 1.7 percent to $1,569.0 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent March increase. Transportation equipment, up eight of the last nine months, led the increase, $23.2 billion or 2.4 percent to $993.1 billion. Inventories – Inventories of manufactured durable goods in April, up seven consecutive months, increased $1.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $598.7 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent March increase. Transportation equipment, up six of the last seven months, led the increase, $0.7 billion or 0.4 percent to $189.9 billion. Capital Goods – Nondefense new orders for capital goods in April increased $22.1 billion or 24.2 percent to $113.5 billion. Shipments increased $1.0 billion or 1.1 percent to $92.6 billion. Unfilled orders increased $20.9 billion or 2.3 percent to $944.1 billion. Inventories increased $0.9 billion or 0.4 percent to $251.5 billion. Defense new orders for capital goods in April increased $1.5 billion or 7.0 percent to $22.2 billion. Shipments increased $0.2 billion or 1.0 percent to $18.4 billion. Unfilled orders increased $3.8 billion or 1.8 percent to $217.0 billion. Inventories increased $0.1 billion or 0.4 percent to $28.1 billion. Revised March Data – Revised seasonally adjusted March figures for all manufacturing industries were: new orders, $632.6 billion (revised from $630.4 billion); shipments, $634.7 billion (revised from $633.9 billion); unfilled orders,
$1,542.3 billion (revised from $1,540.9 billion) and total inventories, $956.6 billion (revised from $956.3 billion).