April 2012 new orders for manufactured goods decreased 0.6 percent from March, to $466.0 billion. Shipments fell 0.3 percent to $473.2 billion. Unfilled orders declined 0.1 percent, to $985.4 billion. And inventories were virtually unchanged, at $607.2 billion.
Construction spending in April 2012 was $820.7 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, up 0.3 percent from the revised March 2012 estimate, and up 6.8 percent from April 2011.
New orders for manufactured durable goods in April 2012 increased 0.2 percent, to $215.5 billion. Excluding transportation, new orders fell 0.6 percent. Overall shipments rose 0.7 percent, while capital goods shipments decreased 1.4 percent. Unfilled orders declined 0.1 percent and inventories increased 0.3 percent in April.
Sales of new single-family homes in April 2012 were 343,000 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, up 3.3 percent from March’s revised rate and up 9.9 percent from April 2011.
Building permits in April 2012 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 715,000, down 7.0 percent from the revised March rate but up 23.7 percent from April 2011. Housing starts in April 2012 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 717,000, up 2.6 percent from March’s revised estimate and up 29.9 percent from April 2011.
