HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PRELIMINARY REPORT ON MANUFACTURERS' SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES, AND ORDERS

April 2009 --------------- Released 10:00 A.M. EDT June 3, 2009
(M3-2(09)-04)
Note: All figures in text are in seasonally adjusted current dollars
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Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in April, up two of the last three months, increased $2.5 billion or 0.7 percent to $344.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.9 percent March decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.1 percent. Shipments, down nine consecutive months, decreased $0.8 billion or 0.2 percent to $357.3 billion. This was the longest streak of consecutive monthly decreases since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.8 percent March decrease. Unfilled orders, down seven consecutive months, decreased $8.9 billion or 1.2 percent to $748.7 billion. This was the longest streak of consecutive monthly decreases since November 2001-July 2002. This followed a 1.7 percent March decrease. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.01, up from 5.98 in March. Inventories, down eight consecutive months, decreased $5.1 billion or 1.0 percent to $517.6 billion. This was the longest streak of consecutive monthly decreases since March 2003-January 2004 and followed a 1.2 percent March decrease. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.45, down from 1.46 in March.

New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in April, up two of the last three months, increased $2.7 billion or 1.7 percent to $160.9 billion, revised from the previously published 1.9 percent increase. This followed a 2.2 percent March decrease.

New orders for manufactured nondurable goods decreased $0.2 billion or 0.1 percent to $183.5 billion.

Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in April, down nine consecutive months, decreased $0.6 billion or 0.4 percent to $173.8 billion, revised from the previously published 0.2 percent decrease. This also was the longest streak of consecutive monthly decreases since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.9 percent March decrease.

Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down eight of the last nine months, decreased $0.2 billion or 0.1 percent to $183.5 billion. This followed a 1.6 percent March decrease. This decrease was due to chemical products, which decreased $0.4 billion or 0.8 percent to $49.8 billion.

Unfilled Orders

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in April, down seven consecutive months, decreased $8.9 billion or 1.2 percent to $748.7 billion, unchanged from the previously published decrease. This followed a 1.7 percent March decrease.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in April, down four consecutive months, decreased $3.0 billion or 0.9 percent to $326.5 billion, revised from the previously published 0.8 percent decrease. This followed a 1.7 percent March decrease.

Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down eight consecutive months, decreased $2.1 billion or 1.1 percent to $191.1 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent March decrease. Chemical products led the decrease, down $0.9 billion or 1.4 percent to $64.5 billion.

By stage of fabrication, April materials and supplies decreased 1.6 percent in durable goods and 1.5 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process decreased slightly in durable goods and increased 0.3 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 1.3 percent in durable goods and 1.3 percent in nondurable goods.

Released June 3, 2009. Note: All figures in text are in seasonally adjusted current dollars. The advance report on durable goods for May is scheduled for June 24, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. and the full report on July 2, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

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