EconoIndicators

Factory Orders At a Glance

• New Orders: $423.5 billion
• Monthly Change: Up 0.5%
• Shipments: $213.7 billion
• Monthly Change: Up 0.8%
• Inventories: $314.6 billion
• Monthly Change: Up 0.3%

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Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in October, up four of the last five months, increased $2.3 billion or 0.5 percent to $423.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 0.3 percent September increase. Shipments, up three of the last four months, increased $4.3 billion or 1.0 percent to $422.3 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent September increase. Unfilled orders, up twenty-nine of the last thirty months, increased $7.7 billion or 1.0 percent to $779.5 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.1 percent September increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 5.21, up from 5.17 in September. Inventories, up eight of the last nine months, increased $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to $520.0 billion. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.6 percent September increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.23, down from 1.24 in September.

New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in October, down three consecutive months, decreased $0.4 billion or 0.2 percent to $215.0 billion, revised from the previously published 0.4 percent decrease. This followed a 1.4 percent September decrease.

New orders for manufactured nondurable goods increased $2.7 billion or 1.3 percent to $208.5 billion.
Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in October, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, increased $1.6 billion or 0.8 percent to $213.7 billion, revised from the previously published 0.6 percent increase. This followed a 1.8 percent September decrease.

Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up five of the last six months, increased $2.7 billion or 1.3 percent to $208.5 billion. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 2.1 percent September increase. Chemical products led the increase, up $1.0 billion or 1.9 percent to $54.3 billion.

Unfilled Orders

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in October, up twenty-nine of the last thirty months, increased $7.7 billion or 1.0 percent to $779.5 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.1 percent September increase.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in October, up three of the last four months, increased $1.0 billion or 0.3 percent to $314.6 billion, revised from the previously published 0.2 percent increase. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.3 percent September increase.

Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down two of the last three months, decreased $0.7 billion or 0.3 percent to $205.4 billion. This followed a 1.0 percent September increase. Food products led the decrease, down $0.5 billion or 1.3 percent to $37.1 billion.

By stage of fabrication, October materials and supplies increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.9 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.0 percent in durable goods and 1.7 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.5 percent in durable goods and 0.6 percent in nondurable goods.

Factory Orders October 2007 [PDF]

Source: Commerce Department, Census Bureau