Updated: 05-Jun-17 10:37 ET
| April Factory Orders |
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| Updated: 05-Jun-17 10:37 ET |
Highlights
- Factory orders for manufactured goods decreased 0.2% in April, as expected, following an upwardly revised 1.0% increase (from 0.2%) for March.
Key Factors
- New orders for manufactured durable goods decreased 0.8% following four consecutive monthly increases, slightly higher than the 0.7% decrease previously reported
- New orders for manufactured nondurable goods increased 0.4% on the heels of a 0.3% decline for March
- Total shipments were unchanged following a 0.2% decline in March
- Inventories, up six consecutive months, increased 0.1%
- The inventory-to-shipments ratio was 1.38, unchanged from March
Big Picture
- The key takeaway from the report is that order and shipments activity for manufactured goods in April were subdued and will limit the expected contribution to Q2 GDP growth forecasts.
| Category | APR | MAR | FEB | JAN | DEC |
| Factory Orders | -0.2% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.4% | 1.8% |
| Less Defense | -0.2% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 2.2% |
| Durable Goods | -0.8% | 2.4% | 1.4% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Nondurable Goods | 0.4% | -0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 3.2% |
| Unfilled Factory Orders | 0.2% | 0.3% | -0.2% | -0.3% | -0.4% |
| Factory Shipments | 0.0% | -0.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 2.5% |
| Factory Inventories | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Inventory/Shipment Ratio | 1.38 | 1.38 | 1.37 | 1.38 | 1.37 |
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