CPI-adjusted consumer durable goods manufacturing has not done well since the recession began in December 2007, and this is one of the reasons why GDP stayed in stagnation since that time. It has a long way to go to reach the level of the monthly $190 billion or so it was consistently in prior to the recession. There have been times it has struggled to stay above the worst readings of the century’s first decade, in Spring 2003. Recent improvement seems to be on a steady uptrend. Since November 2016, every comparison to the prior year has been positive in percentage growth, and has averaged nearly +6% for each of the months in Q4-2018.
