US orders for capital equipment from
the business sector - - items expected to last at least 10 years - - rose in
December for a second month, signalling evidence of growing business demand for
goods like mainframe computers, servers and communications gear excluding
aircraft, as the value climbed 1.4% after a 3.1% gain in November. Initial
weekly jobless benefit claims jumped 51,000 last week, partially relating to the
processing of a backlog of claims resulting from bad weather conditions.
New orders for US manufactured durable goods - - items
expected to last at least 3 years - - in December fell $5.0bn or 2.5% to
$191.0bn, the US Census Bureau announced today. This dip, down four of the last
five months, followed a 0.1% November decrease. Excluding transportation (mainly
commercial aircraft), new orders increased 0.5%.
Excluding defense, new orders decreased 2.5%. Transportation
equipment, also down four of the last five months, had the largest decrease,
$5.8bn or 12.8% to $39.2bn. This was due to nondefense aircraft (e.g. Boeing)
and parts, which decreased $5.0bn.
Shipments: Shipments of manufactured durable goods in
December, up three of the last four months, increased $2.8bn or 1.4% to
$200.4bn. This followed a 0.5% November increase.
Machinery, up four of the last five months, had the largest
increase, $1.7bn or 6.7% to $27.1bn.
Unfilled Orders: Unfilled orders for manufactured
durable goods in December, down following eight consecutive monthly increases,
decreased $3.6bn or 0.4% to $822.8bn. This followed a 0.5% November increase.
Transportation equipment, down two consecutive months, had the
largest decrease, $8.7bn or 1.8% to $473.6bn.
Inventories:Inventories of manufactured durable
goods in December, up twelve consecutive months, increased $2.1bn or 0.7% to
$322.0bn. This followed a 0.9% November increase.
Transportation equipment, also up twelve consecutive months, had
the largest increase, $1.6bn or 1.9% to $86.3bn.
Capital Goods: Nondefense new orders for capital
goods - - items expected to last at least 10 years - - in December dipped
$4.2bn or 6.3% to $61.4bn.
Shipments increased $1.8bn or 2.8% to $67.1bn. Unfilled orders
decreased $5.7bn or 1.1% to $498.8bn. Inventories increased $1.2bn or 0.9% to
$136.9bn. Defense new orders for capital goods in December decreased $0.3bn or
3.6% to $8.4bn.
Shipments increased $0.1bn or 1.5% to $8.9bn. Unfilled orders
decreased $0.4bn or 0.3% to $139.0bn. Inventories decreased $0.1bn or 0.8% to
$17.6bn.
New US Weekly Jobless Claims
The Department of Labor reported
Thursday that in the week ending Jan. 22, the seasonally adjusted initial weekly
claims was 454,000, an increase of 51,000 from the previous week's revised
figure of 403,000. The 4-week moving average was 428,750, an increase of 15,750
from the previous week's revised average of 413,000.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week
ending Jan. 15 was 3,991,000, an increase of 94,000 from the preceding week's
revised level of 3,897,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,975,500, a decrease
of 39,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 4,015,250.
A Labor Department official said
snow in four southern states in previous weeks resulted in a backlog of claims
that were processed last week.
