New orders for US manufactured goods rose slightly in January, increasing $0.9 billion (0.1%) to $620.1 billion after a December decline, according to the US Census Bureau.
Shipments grew $2.8 billion (0.5%) to $612.9 billion, while unfilled orders continued their long-term upward trend, rising $12.1 billion (0.8%) to $1,540.4 billion.
Inventories also edged up $0.7 billion (0.1%) to $949.8 billion, with the inventories-to-shipments ratio slightly falling to 1.55, indicating steady manufacturing activity.
