Manufactures' shipments, inventories & orders up in Dec
04 Feb '06
3 min read
New orders for manufactured nondurable goods increased $0.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $186.0 billion. Shipments Shipments of manufactured durable goods in December, up three consecutive months, increased $8.1 billion or 3.8 percent to $221.9 billion, revised from the previously published 3.5 percent increase. This was at the highest level since the series began and followed a 0.7 percent November increase.
Transportation equipment, up three consecutive months, had the largest increase, $4.0 billion or 6.8 percent to $63.6 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up five of the last six months, increased $0.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $186.0 billion. This was due to petroleum and coal products, which increased $1.8 billion or 5.5 percent to $35.5 billion.
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in December, up eight consecutive months, increased $14.9 billion or 2.4 percent to $637.1 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This was at the highest level since the series began and followed a 3.1 percent November increase.
Transportation equipment, up eight consecutive months, had the largest increase, $13.5 billion or 4.3 percent to $329.5 billion.
Inventories of manufactured durable goods in December, up four consecutive months, increased $0.2 billion or 0.1 percent to $285.7 billion, revised from the previously published slight increase. This followed a 0.6 percent November increase.
Primary metals, up following six consecutive monthly decreases, had the largest increase, $0.2 billion or 0.8 percent to $24.0 billion. Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up three of the last four months, increased $2.0 billion or 1.1 percent to $184.1 billion. The increase was led by chemical products, which increased $1.7 billion or 3.1 percent to $55.5 billion.
By stage of fabrication, December materials and supplies increased slightly in durable goods and 2.8 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.6 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.9 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.5 percent in durable goods and increased 0.6 percent in nondurable goods.
Figures in text, other than year-to-date, are in seasonally adjusted current dollars. Figures on new and unfilled orders exclude data for semiconductor manufacturing.
marketing@alchempro.com
