Factory Orders is an economic indicator which measures the level in US dollars of the new factory orders for both durable and non-durable goods. It is a monthly report released by the US Census Bureau. Higher than expected Factory Orders are positive for the US Dollar reflecting a strong manufacturing and production economic and business activity. The release of the Factory Orders is usually one or 2 weeks after the release of Durable Goods Orders, and includes revisions in the numbers.
The United States Factory Orders
The United States Factory Orders latest reading for the month of May was -0.8%, lower than the estimate of -0.5% and the previous reading of -0.3%. This was the second consecutive decrease in factory orders. Factory orders were up 4.8 percent on a year-over basis though. Historically The United States Factory Orders had an all-time high reading of 10.20% in June of 2000. The all-time low reading was -9.40% in August of 2014. The long-term average growth for the United States Factory Orders and the period of years 1991-2017 is positive and has a reading of 0.27%. For the 1st semester of 2017 the trend of the United States Factory Orders is not stable, as for the first 3 months there was an uptrend, but in April and May of 2017 there has been a decline. In general the reading shows volatility.
