(11-21-18)
The U.S. Census Bureau announces the October advance report on manufacturers’ shipments, inventories and orders: New Orders – New orders for manufactured durable goods in October decreased $11.5 billion or 4.4 percent to $248.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today.
This decrease, down three of the last four months, followed a 0.1 percent September decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.1 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 1.2 percent. Transportation equipment, down following two consecutive monthly increases, drove the decrease, $11.7 billion or 12.2 percent to $84.7 billion. Shipments – Shipments of manufactured durable goods in October, down following two consecutive monthly increases, decreased $1.4 billion or 0.6 percent to $254.5 billion. This followed a 1.0 percent September increase. Transportation equipment, also down following two consecutive monthly increases, drove the decrease, $1.6 billion or 1.8 percent to $87.6 billion. Unfilled Orders – Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in October, down following eight consecutive monthly increases, decreased $2.0 billion or 0.2 percent to $1,183.0 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent September increase. Transportation equipment, down following two consecutive monthly increases, drove the decrease, $2.9 billion or 0.4 percent to $815.1 billion. Inventories – Inventories of manufactured durable goods in October, down two of the last three months, decreased $0.1 billion or virtually unchanged to $410.9 billion. This followed a 0.8 percent September increase. Computers and electronic products, down three of the last four months, drove the decrease, $0.4 billion or 1.0 percent to $43.1 billion. Capital Goods – Nondefense new orders for capital goods in October decreased $3.3 billion or 4.2 percent to $75.3 billion. Shipments decreased $1.9 billion or 2.4 percent to $77.4 billion. Unfilled orders decreased $2.1 billion or 0.3 percent to $715.5 billion. Inventories increased less than $0.1 billion or virtually unchanged to $180.1 billion. Defense new orders for capital goods in October decreased $2.3 billion or 16.6 percent to $11.5 billion. Shipments increased $0.3 billion or 2.9 percent to $12.1 billion. Unfilled orders decreased $0.6 billion or 0.4 percent to $153.4 billion. Inventories increased $0.1 billion or 0.3 percent to $22.8 billion. Revised September Data – Revised seasonally adjusted September figures for all manufacturing industries were: new orders, $513.3 billion (revised from $515.3 billion); shipments, $509.2 billion (revised from $509.8 billion); unfilled orders, $1,185.1 billion (revised from $1,186.5 billion) and total inventories, $680.5 billion (revised from $680.4 billion).
