Key figures from the Preliminary Report on
Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders by the Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census.
The statistics for October 2000 are below.
New orders
New factory orders for
manufactured goods decreased $12.7 billion or 3.3% in October following a 1.1%
increase in September. New orders for manufactured durable goods decreased $12.3
billion or 5.6% to $208.3 billion. Year-to-date, new orders are 8.1% above the
same period a year ago. Transportation equipment had the largest decrease, $8.6
billion or 16.1% to $44.7 billion, mostly due to aircraft and parts. Electronic
and other electrical equipment decreased $4.3 billion or 9.9% to $39.0 billion,
mostly due to electronic components. Primary metals decreased $0.4 billion or
2.7% to $15.3 billon. Industrial machinery and equipment increased $0.53 billon
or 1.1% to $43.9 billon. New orders for nondurable goods decreased $0.5 billion
or 1.1% to $165.6 billion with paper and allied products leading the
decline.
Shipments
Shipments of durable goods in
October decreased $2.4 billion or 1.1% to $211.7 billion, revised from the
previously published 0.8% decrease. Transportation equipment had the largest
decrease, $2.6 billion or 5.3% to $46.1 billion, motor vehicles and parts and
aircarft and parts led the decline. Electronic and other electrical equipment,
up six of the last eight months, decreased $0.5 billon or 1.2% to $41.1 billion.
Industrial machinery and equipment, down four of the last six months, increased
$0.7 billion or 1.6% to $44.0 billion.
Shipments of nondurable goods
increased $0.1 billion or 0.1% to $166.0 billion.
Unfilled Orders
Unfilled orders for durable
goods in October decreased $3.4 billion or 0.6% to $558.9 billion, unrevised
from the previously published 0.6% decrease. This is the largest decrease since
June 1999. Electronic and other electrical equipment had the largest decrease,
$2.1 billion or 2.1% to $99.9 billion. Transportation equipmen. led by aircraft
and parts, decreased $1.3 billion or 0.5% to $247.5 billion. Primary metals,
down eleven of the last twelve months, decreased $0.2 billion or 0.6% to $30.4
billion. Instruments and related products, up for the first time since June,
increased $0.3 billion or 0.6% to $48.7 billion.
Inventories
Inventories of durable goods
increased $2.5 billion or 0.8% in October to $307.8 billion. This is the seven
consecutive increase and thirteenth in the last fourteen months. Electronic and
other electrical equipment had the largest increase, $1.0 billion or 2.1% to
$47.0 billion, This is the largets increase since December 1999. Industrial
machinery and equipment, up seven consecutive months, increased $0.7 billion or
1.1% to $63.2 billion.
Inventories of nondurable goods, up fifteen of
the last sixteen months, increased $0.5 billion or 0.3% to $184.0
billion.
By stage of fabrication, October finished goods increased 2.0%
in durables and 0.5% in nondurables. Work in process increased 0.2% in durables
and 2.2% in nondurables. Materials and supplies increased 0.4% in durables and
0.9% in nondurables.
