Second Straight Month of Weakness in New Orders for Long-Lasting Manufactured Goods
The U.S. Census Bureau announced new orders for manufactured durable goods in May fell $3.3 billion or 1.3% to $243.4 billion. The figure missed the consensus forecast and is the second month of weakness for the report.
| Indicator | Prior | Prior Revised | Consensus Forecast | Forecast Range | Result |
| New Orders – M/M ∆ | -2.1 % | -2.8 % | -0.1 % | -4.8 % to 0.6 % | -1.3% |
| Ex-transportation – M/M ∆ | 0.0 % | -0.1 % | 0.1 % | -1.0 % to 0.2 % | 0.3% |
| Core capital goods – M/M ∆ | -0.9 % | -1.0 % | 0.2 % | 0.0 % to 0.5 % | 0.4% |
Durable goods orders have been down three of the last four months, and declined 2.8% in April.
Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.3%. Excluding defense, new orders fell 0.6%.
Transportation equipment, which is also down three of the last four months, fueled the decline for May, falling $3.9 billion or 4.6% to $80.0 billion.
Shipments, up after two consecutive monthly decreases, rose $0.9 billion or 0.4% to $254.1 billion following a 1.6% decline in April. Machinery, up four of the last five months, fueled the gain rising $0.4 billion or 1.1% to $33.4 billion.
