Factory orders decreased $4.0 billion in April or 0.8% to $499.3 billion, meeting the consensus forecast. New orders gained 1.3% in March and have been down two of the last three months, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.
| Prior | Prior Revised | Consensus Forecast | Forecast Range | Actual | |
| Factory Orders – M/M ∆ | 1.9% | 1.3% | -0.8% | -1.3% to -0.3% | -0.8% |
Shipments, down following two consecutive monthly increases, decreased $2.7 billion or 0.5% to $504.1 billion. This followed a 0.2% March increase.
Unfilled orders, down two of the last three months, decreased $0.6 billion or 0.1% to $1,179.3 billion. This followed a 0.1% March increase. The unfilled orders‐to‐shipments ratio was 6.69, up from 6.61 in March.
Inventories, up seven of the last eight months, increased $1.8 billion or 0.3 percent to $692.9 billion. This followed a 0.4% March increase. The inventories‐to‐shipments ratio was 1.37, up from 1.36 in March.
