New orders for manufactured goods, down four consecutive months, decreased $3.5 billion, or 0.7 percent, in November to $492.7 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This followed a 0.7 percent decrease in October. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.6 percent in November.
Shipments, down three of the last four months, decreased $2.8 billion, or 0.6 percent, to $495.7 billion. This followed a 0.9 percent October decrease.
Unfilled orders, up 19 of the last 20 months, increased $4.5 billion, or 0.4 percent, to $1,179.1 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.5 percent October increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.81, up from 6.75 in October.
Inventories, up 24 of the last 25 months, increased $0.7 billion, or 0.1 percent, to $656.3 billion. This was also at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis and followed a 0.1 percent October increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.32, unchanged from October.
New orders for manufactured durable goods in November, down three of the last four months, decreased $2.3 billion, or 0.9 percent, to $241.6 billion, revised from the previously published 0.7 percent decrease. This followed a 0.3 percent October increase.
Transportation equipment, also down three of the last four months, led the decrease, $1 billion, or 1.3 percent, to $75.5 billion.
New orders for manufactured nondurable goods decreased $1.3 billion to $251.2 billion.
By stage of fabrication, November materials and supplies increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.7 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.7 percent in durable goods and decreased 1.3 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 0.2 percent in both durable goods and nondurable goods.
