Updated: 04-May-26 10:16 ET
Highlights
- Factory orders increased 1.5% month-over-month in March (Briefing.com consensus: 0.5%) following an upwardly revised 0.3% increase (from 0.0%) in February.
- Excluding transportation, factory orders increased 1.6% for the second straight month.
- Shipments of manufactured goods were up 1.4% after increasing 1.7% in February.
- Durable goods orders rose 0.8% after sliding 1.2% in February.
- New orders for nondurable goods jumped 2.1% after increasing 1.9% in February.
- New orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft—a proxy for business spending—surged 3.4% following a 1.6% increase in February.
- The inventory-to-shipments ratio fell to 1.51 from 1.52 in February.
- The key takeaway from the report is that factory order activity ramped up in March, driven by widespread strength that was punctuated by a big increase (3.4%) in new orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft.
| Category | Mar | Feb | Jan | Dec | Nov |
| Factory Orders | 1.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% | -0.4% | 2.7% |
| Less Defense | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.4% | -0.9% | 3.2% |
| Durable Goods | 0.8% | -1.2% | -0.4% | -0.9% | 5.4% |
| Nondurable Goods | 2.1% | 1.9% | 0.5% | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| Unfilled Factory Orders | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 1.4% |
| Factory Shipments | 1.4% | 1.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | -0.2% |
| Factory Inventories | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Inventory/Shipment Ratio | 1.51 | 1.52 | 1.55 | 1.56 | 1.57 |
