FX.co ★ U.S. Factory Orders Inch Up In Line With Estimates In December

The Commerce Department confirmed that the U.S. saw an anticipated increase in new orders for manufactured products this past December. Factory orders experienced a modest rise of 0.2 percent, consistent with forecasts and following a significant surge of 2.6 percent in November.

Orders for non-durable goods also contributed to this growth, with an increase of 0.4 percent overriding a minor decrease in durable goods orders. Reports show that shipments of manufactured goods remained essentially the same in December, following a 0.5 percent increase in November.

In terms of inventory, there was only a slight 0.1 percent increase in December, maintaining the steady levels seen in the previous month. Consequently, the ratio of inventories-to-shipments remained steady from November to December, holding steady at 1.48.