US factory orders rose in February for first time since July
Source: Associated Press, via Washington Post
By Paul Wiseman | AP April 2 at 10:32 AM
WASHINGTON — Orders to U.S. factories rose in February, breaking a six-month losing streak.
Factory orders rose 0.2 percent in February, which was the first increase since July, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The climb was a welcome development for manufacturers struggling with disappointing economic growth in major trading partners like China, Europe and Japan. A stronger U.S. dollar also makes U.S. goods more expensive overseas.
However, the news for February was tempered by a revision in the January figure: orders fell 0.7 percent, worse than the 0.2 percent drop the government originally reported.
Excluding volatile transportation orders, factory orders rose 0.8 percent, the most since June. Orders for autos and auto parts fell 1.2 percent, and orders for private aircraft and aviation parts dropped 8.8 percent.
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Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/us-factory-orders-rose-in-february-for-first-time-since-july/2015/04/02/03475ad2-d941-11e4-bf0b-f648b95a6488_story.html
From the agonizingly difficult to navigate Department of Commerce website:
Economic Indicators
Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders February 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT
Adriana Stoica
Economic Indicators Division
(301) 763-4832
M3-2 (15)-2
CB15-54
Summary
New orders for manufactured goods in February, up following six consecutive monthly decreases, increased $0.8 billion or 0.2 percent to $468.3 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 0.7 percent January decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.8 percent.
Shipments, up following four consecutive monthly decreases, increased $3.6 billion or 0.7 percent to $481.3 billion. This followed a 2.3 percent January decrease.
Unfilled orders, down three consecutive months, decreased $5.9 billion or 0.5 percent to $1,156.3 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent January decrease. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.71, unchanged from January.
Inventories, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, increased $0.9 billion or 0.1 percent to $651.0 billion. This followed a 0.4 percent January decrease. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.35, down from 1.36 in January.
Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, & Orders
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