According to a Dec. 24 Census Bureau bulletin, shipments of manufactured durable goods climbed for the third consecutive month in November, while new orders moved up for the second month running and inventories fell for the 10th time in 11 months. Following a 0.7% rise in October, durable goods shipments rose $500 million, or 0.3%, in November. The same month, new orders increased $300 million, or 0.2%. Machinery experienced the largest percentage increase in shipments, a sign that manufacturers are gearing up for new production, while computers and electronic products experienced the largest increase in orders. Durable goods inventories fell 0.2%, which could serve as a prelude to a new round of ordering.

Meanwhile, the newest Port Tracker from the DC-based National Retail Federation (NRF) and IHS Global Insight of Lexington, MA projects containerized imports at the 10 US ports regularly surveyed for the report will begin to rise again in February and continue rising in March and April. The three-month trend would break a 31-month streak of year-to-year declines.

"We've been seeing hints of a turnaround in our past few reports, but this is starting to look like a clear trend," says Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. "If retailers are starting to import more merchandise, it's because they expect to be able to sell more, and that's a good sign for our industry and the overall economy."