WASHINGTON, May 3 (UPI) -- U.S. factory orders rose for the fifth straight month in March, increasing 3 percent over the previous month, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday.
Orders for March climbed to $462.91 billion, an increase of $13.5 billion, the bureau said in a release.
Shipments, up seven consecutive months, gained $12 billion, or 2.7 percent, to $461.4 billion, the statistics said.
Unfilled orders, up 11 of the last 12 months, rose $7 billion, or 0.8 percent, to $844 billion, while the orders-to-shipments ratio was 5.54, down from 5.63 in February, the Census data indicated.
Inventories, up 14 of the last 15 months, increased $6.3 billion, or 1.1 percent, to $572.3 billion, the data indicated. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.24, down from 1.26 in February.
