Manufacturing sales up 0.9 per cent in August, surpassing expectations

Oct. 18, 2016 – Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales increased 0.9 per cent to $51.1 billion in August, fuelled by higher sales of food, primary metal, and petroleum and coal products.

The result was better than economists had expected.

They had looked for a gain of 0.3 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters.

Statistics Canada says sales were up in 15 of 21 industries, representing 69 per cent of the total manufacturing sector.

Food industry sales rose 1.7 per cent to a record high of $8.6 billion, while the primary metal industry gained 3.6 per cent to $3.9 billion.

Petroleum and coal product sales were up 2.5 per cent to $4.4 billion.

The transportation equipment industry saw sales fall 1.1 per cent to $10.5 billion.

Sales grew 1.2 per cent on a constant-dollar basis, reflecting an increase in the higher volume of goods sold.

News from © Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. 2016