OTTAWA — Canadian manufacturing shipments rose at a slower but nevertheless solid pace in November relative to the previous month, with broad-based gains offset partly by disruption caused by flooding in the Pacific-coast province of British Columbia.
Canadian factory sales climbed 2.6% in November from the previous month to a seasonally-adjusted 63.07 billion Canadian dollars, or the equivalent to US$50.23 billion, Statistics Canada said Monday. Market expectations were for a 1.6% advance, according to economists at TD Bank.
In the previous month, manufacturing sales advanced by a revised 4.6% versus an earlier estimate of a 4.3% drop.
On a price-adjusted, or volume, basis, Canadian manufacturing sales in November increased 1.9%. On a one-year basis, factory shipments climbed 16.9%.
Statistics Canada said that 18 of the 21 sectors tracked reported increases in sales, with shipments from primary metals producers rising 5.8% to a record C$5.81 billion. Sales jumped 3.7% in the petroleum and coal sector, also hitting a record level.
Statistics Canada said flooding in British Columbia in the month of November disrupted supply chains across western Canada and had moderate impacts on manufacturing activities. At the national level, the floods impacted 28.1% of manufacturing plants in November, mainly through disruptions in transportation and shortages of raw materials.
Meanwhile, new orders at Canadian factories rose 3% in November from the previous month to C$95.74 billion, while unfilled orders advanced 0.4%. Manufacturing inventories rose 1.2% to a record C$100.83 billion.