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Orders For Manufactured Goods Continue to Rise

Following a 1.7 percent boost in March, new orders for manufactured goods continued to rise, up 1.2 percent, or $5.1 billion, in April, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. New orders for April totaled $420.1 billion, up 12 of the last 13 months, a good sign that more trucks will be needed on the roads.

Manufactured durable goods saw a 2.8 percent boost, rising to $193.8 billion. Transportation had the largest increase, up $6.9 billion, or 15.8 percent, to $50.5 billion. Meanwhile, new orders for manufactured nondurable goods fell 0.1 percent to $226.3 billion.

Shipments, which have increased 10 out of the last 11 months, were up 0.6 percent to $422.3 billion. This compares to a 2.6 percent rise in March. Durable goods saw a 1.4 percent increase to $196 billion, with computers and electronic products experiencing the largest boost. These durable goods gained 8.1 percent, or $2.5 billion in April. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods fell for the time in nine months, down 0.1 percent to $226.3 billion. Petroleum and coal products drove the decrease, the Census Bureau said, dropping 0.8 percent to $57.2 billion.

Inventories, which have grown six of the last seven months, saw a 0.5 percent rise to $521.7 billion, following the same increase in March.

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