Today, the U.S. Census Bureau published its monthly report on U.S. durable goods manufactures’ shipments, inventories and orders for December 2011 – according to this report, orders of durable goods and capital goods increased during last month compared with November’s figures.
According to the last report, during December 2011, new orders of manufactured durable goods increased by $6.2 billion or 3.0% to $214.5 billion; Shipments of manufactured durable goods also rose by $4.3 billion or 2.1% to $207.3 billion. Shipments of manufactured decreased in the past two out of the past three months.
Finally, the Non-defense new orders for capital goods increased by $4.6 billion or 5.8% to $84.4 billion; Inventories of manufactured durable goods increased for twenty four consecutive months – last month they rose $1.2 billion or 0.3% to $370.1 billion.
This report provides an indicator to the growth of the U.S economy during December. Since the new orders rose along with the demand for Non-defense capital goods, this report seems to indicate signs of recovery in the U.S’s growth.
Some speculate that this report may drive the U.S. stock markets up during this trading day and will push along with it major energy commodities prices including crude oil prices.
Currently, major commodities are traded up: energy commodities and precious metals are rising; the Euro and other major currencies are traded slightly up against the USD; the American stock markets indexes are increasing.
Current gold price, short term futures (February 2012 delivery) is traded at $1,732. 0 per t oz. a $29 increase or 1.7 %, as of 15:14*.
Nymex (WTI) crude oil price, short term futures (February 2012 delivery) is rising by 1.55% to $100.94 per barrel as of 15:15*.
Euros to USD exchange rate is currently traded down at 1.3154 a 0.3666% increase as of 15:26*.
(* GMT)
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