Boeing
Industryweek 28689 Boeing Plane
Industryweek 28689 Boeing Plane
Industryweek 28689 Boeing Plane
Industryweek 28689 Boeing Plane
Industryweek 28689 Boeing Plane

Sales of Aircraft Lift US Durable Goods in February

March 23, 2018
Civilian aircraft orders rose 25.5%, while military aircraft sales increased 37.7%.

A rebound in sales of defense and civilian aircraft boosted February sales of US-manufactured goods to their biggest gain in eight months, the Commerce Department reported on March 23. Orders for civilian aircraft rose 25.5%, reversing January's decline in the volatile sector, while military aircraft sales added 37.7%, recouping much of the 48.9% drop in the prior month.

The data was a welcome sign for economic growth in the first quarter, with the gain more than double analyst expectations. The sluggish auto sector also saw a healthy bump.

With broad-based gains across multiple industrial sectors, total orders for durable goods rose 3.1% to $247.7 billion, rising the most since June. 

The result handily overshot a consensus forecast among economists, who were expecting an increase of only 1.5%.

The bounce also offset most of January's 3.5 % decline and put the first two months of 2018 a solid 9.1% above the same period last year.

But excluding the highly volatile transportation sector, which sees broad swings from month to month, the report still showed 1.2 % increase.

Sales of cars and trucks, long in the doldrums, rose by 1.6% after being essentially flat in the prior two months.

Orders for electrical equipment and appliances had their best month since July 2016, adding 2.6%, while non-defense capital goods, a segment that can track investment by the oil drilling industry, added 1.8 %.

The lone sour note was communications equipment, which fell 8.4%, the biggest monthly decline since December 2015. 

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2018

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Shifting Your Business from Products to Service-Based Business Models: Generating Predictable Revenues

Oct. 27, 2023
Executive summary on a recent IndustryWeek-hosted webinar sponsored by SAP

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!