Durable Goods Orders Jumped in November

New orders for durable goods like airplanes and refrigerators rose 3.8% in November according to the monthly report from the US Department of Commerce. The largest rise came in transportation equipment, where new orders rose by 14.7% to $54.4 billion.

Shipments of manufactured goods fell 0.4% in November, following a decline of 1.5% in October. Inventories of manufactured goods rose by 0.6% to $368.8 billion, the highest dollar level since 1992.

Unfilled orders for durable goods rose 1.3% to $898.1 billion. Unfilled orders have risen in 19 of the past 20 months.

Excluding defense, new orders for capital goods like farm machinery and oil field equipment rose 8.1% in November to $78.7 billion. Inventories were up 0.9% to $169.5 billion.