New orders for manufactured durable goods in October decreased $1.4 billion or 0.7% to $197.7 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This decrease, down two consecutive months, followed a 1.5% September decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.7%. Excluding defense, new orders increased 0.2%.

Transportation equipment, also down two consecutive months, had the largest decrease, $2.4 billion or 4.8% to $47.2 billion.

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in October, up five of the last six months, increased $2.6 billion or 1.3 % to $203.0 billion. This followed a 0.5% September decrease.

Transportation equipment, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, had the largest increase, $2.4 billion or 5.2 percent to $48.4 billion.

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in October, up eighteen of the last nineteen months, increased $1.9 billion or 0.2%to $886.0 billion. This followed a 0.6% September increase. Machinery, up twenty one consecutive months, had the largest increase, $1.8 billion or 1.5% to $117.7 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.3 percent September increase.

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in October, up twenty two consecutive months, increased $1.8 billion or 0.5 percent to $367.2 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was first published on a NAICS basis and followed a slight September increase.

Transportation equipment, also up twenty two consecutive months, had the largest increase, $0.8 billion or 0.7% to $113.6 billion. Capital Goods Nondefense new orders for capital goods in October decreased $3.5 billion or 4.6 percent to $71.6 billion.

Shipments increased $0.1 billion or 0.2% to $70.9 billion. Unfilled orders increased $0.7 billion or 0.1% to $521.9 billion.

Inventories increased $1.3 billion or 0.8% to $168.6 billion. Defense new orders for capital goods in October decreased $1.7 billion or 19.8% to $6.7 billion. Shipments decreased $0.5 billion or 7.2% to $7.0 billion.

Unfilled orders decreased $0.3 billion or 0.2% to $152.3 billion. Inventories increased $0.2 billion or 1.0% to $20.2 billion.

Revised seasonally adjusted September figures for all manufacturing industries were: new orders, 451.8 billion (revised from $453.5 billion); shipments, $453.1 billion (revised from $452.7 billion); unfilled  orders,$884.1 billion (revised from $886.3 billion); and total inventories, $601.0 billion (revised from $601.3 billion).