New orders for manufactured goods rose .3 percent in April, according to numbers released today by the U.S. Commerce Department.
Orders rose $1.3 billion to $418 billion total, the fifth time in the past six months new orders have risen.
New orders for manufactured, non-durable goods decreased .2 percent to $199.6 billion, according to the report.
To coincide with increased orders, shipments also rose in April. Shipments of manufactured, durable goods were up 1.9 percent, to $213.2 billion.
The number of unfilled orders also increased in April, up 1.8 percent to $719.1 billion, the highest level since 1992, the report said.
