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Computers and electronics orders had their best month in 25 years in March, Reuters reported<\/a> Monday (May 4).<\/p>\n This category\u2019s orders rose 3.6% compared to February and hit $29.6 billion, which was the highest level since March 2001, according to the report.<\/p>\n The report attributed the rise to surging demand for these products as companies invest in artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n This achievement for computers and electronics products<\/a> happened during a month in which new orders for manufactured goods increased 1.5% to reach $630.4 billion, the Census Bureau<\/a> said in a Monday press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n That rate of growth was up from the 0.3% increase in new orders seen in February.<\/p>\n The Census Bureau also reported Monday that during March, shipments increased 1.4% to $633.9 billion, unfilled orders increased 0.1% to $1,540.9 billion, and the unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio declined to 6.88 compared to February\u2019s 6.92.<\/p>\n Advertisement: Scroll to Continue<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The bureau said that new orders for manufactured goods were up in four of the last five months and that shipments were up in five of the last six months.<\/p>\n Inventories increased 0.6% to $956.3 billion in March, while the inventories-to-shipments ratio slid to 1.51 compared to February\u2019s 1.52, according to the Census Bureau.<\/p>\n According to the Reuters report, the rate of increase in new orders for factory goods was greater than expected by economists, who had predicted a rise of 0.5%.<\/p>\n Orders for nondurable goods were up 2.1% in March, reaching their highest level since October 2022, the Reuters report said, while those for durable goods rose 0.8%.<\/p>\n The report said manufacturing accounts for 10.1% of the U.S. economy.<\/p>\n