Economic Indicators: Manufacturers Shipments, Inventories and Orders, January 2010
New orders for manufactured goods in January increased 1.7 percent to $378.4 billion.
Summary. New orders for manufactured goods in January, up nine of the last ten months, increased $6.2 billion or 1.7 percent to $378.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.5 percent December increase.
Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.1 percent. Shipments, up seven of the last eight months, increased $1.0 billion or 0.3 percent to $383.7 billion. This followed a 1.8 percent December increase. Unfilled orders, up following fifteen consecutive monthly decreases, increased $0.1 billion to $717.8 billion. This followed a 0.9 percent December decrease. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 5.54, up from 5.44 in December. Inventories, up three of the last four months, increased $0.8 billion or 0.2 percent to $495.2 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent December decrease. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.29, unchanged from December.
New Orders. New orders for manufactured durable goods in January, up two consecutive months, increased $4.4 billion or 2.6 percent to $174.9 billion, revised from the previously published 3.0 percent increase. This followed a 1.8 percent December increase. Transportation equipment, up four of the last five months, had the largest increase, $5.8 billion or 15.0 percent to $44.6 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods increased $1.7 billion or 0.9 percent to $203.5 billion.
Shipments. Shipments of manufactured durable goods in January, down following four consecutive monthly increases, decreased $0.7 billion or 0.4 percent to $180.2 billion, revised from the previously published 0.2 percent decrease. This followed a 2.4 percent December increase. Transportation equipment, down following two consecutive monthly increases, had the largest decrease, $1.8 billion or 3.9 percent to $44.4 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up nine of the last ten months, increased $1.7 billion or 0.9 percent to $203.5 billion. This followed a 1.3 percent December increase. This increase was led by petroleum and coal products, which increased $1.3 billion or 2.8 percent to $45.9 billion.
Unfilled Orders. Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in January, up following fifteen consecutive monthly decreases, increased $0.1 billion to $717.8 billion, revised from the previously published 0.1 percent increase. This followed a 0.9 percent December decrease. Primary metals, up seven of the last eight months, had the largest increase, $0.5 billion or 3.4 percent to $16.1 billion.
Inventories. Inventories of manufactured durable goods in January, down thirteen consecutive months, decreased $0.1 billion to $302.6 billion, unchanged from the previously published decrease. This followed a 0.2 percent December decrease. Computers and electronic products, down twelve of the last thirteen months, had the largest decrease, $0.5 billion or 1.1 percent to $42.9 billion. Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up three of the last four months, increased $0.8 billion or 0.4 percent to $192.6 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent December decrease. Petroleum and coal products led the increase, up $0.7 billion or 2.3 percent to $31.9 billion. By stage of fabrication, January materials and supplies decreased 0.4 percent in durable goods and 0.4 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and decreased 1.7 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.1 percent in durable goods and increased 2.0 percent in nondurable goods.
