EconoIndicators

Factory Orders At a Glance

• New Orders: $441.6 billion
• Monthly Change: Up 2.3%
• Shipments: $212.0 billion
• Monthly Change: Down 0.2%
• Inventories: $320.2 billion
• Monthly Change: Up 1.0%

Technorati Tags: factory orders, inventories, manufacturing

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PRELIMINARY REPORT ON MANUFACTURERS’ SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES, AND ORDERS

Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in December, up six of the last seven months, increased $10.1 billion or 2.3 percent to $441.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This was at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.7 percent November increase. Shipments, down following three consecutive monthly increases, decreased $1.2 billion or 0.3 percent to $427.5 billion. This followed a 1.3 percent November increase. Unfilled orders, up thirty-one of the last thirty-two months, increased $20.0 billion or 2.5 percent to $808.7 billion. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.2 percent November increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 5.43, up from 5.31 in November. Inventories, up ten of the last eleven months, increased $4.0 billion or 0.8 percent to $528.1 billion. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.7 percent November increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.24, up from 1.22 in November.

New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in December, up two consecutive months, increased $10.9 billion or 5.0 percent to $226.1 billion, revised from the previously published 5.2 percent increase. This followed a 0.5 percent November increase.

New orders for manufactured nondurable goods decreased $0.8 billion or 0.4 percent to $215.5 billion.
Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in December, down four of the last five months, decreased $0.4 billion or 0.2 percent to $212.0 billion, revised from the previously published 0.1 percent decrease. This followed a 0.4 percent November decrease.

Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down following three consecutive monthly increases, decreased $0.8 billion or 0.4 percent to $215.5 billion. This followed a 3.0 percent November increase. This decrease was due to petroleum and coal products, which decreased $1.2 billion or 2.3 percent to $51.9 billion.

Unfilled Orders

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in December, up thirty-one of the last thirty-two months, increased $20.0 billion or 2.5 percent to $808.7 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 1.2 percent November increase.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in December, up five of the last six months, increased $3.3 billion or 1.0 percent to $320.2 billion, revised from the previously published 1.1 percent increase. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.7 percent November increase.

Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up three of the last four months, increased $0.7 billion or 0.3 percent to $207.9 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent November increase. Petroleum and coal products led the increase, up $0.5 billion or 1.3 percent to $37.0 billion.

By stage of fabrication, December materials and supplies increased 0.4 percent in durable goods and increased slightly in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.6 percent in durable goods and 2.7 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 1.1 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.4 percent in nondurable goods.

Factory Orders Preliminary – December 2007 [PDF]

Source: Commerce Department, Census Bureau