Canada: Manufacturing sales increased 1.4% to $57.1 billion in May

"Manufacturing sales increased 1.4% to $57.1 billion in May, following a 1.1% decline in April," Statistics Canada reported on Tuesday.

Key takeaways from the official publications

• Sales rose in 14 of 21 industries, representing 64% of total manufacturing sales.
• The chemical, machinery, and wood product industries accounted for most of the gains in May.
• The transportation equipment industry posted the largest decline.
• In constant dollars, manufacturing sales were up 0.9%.
• Manufacturing inventories rose 0.4% to a record high $81.5 billion in May.
• The unadjusted manufacturing capacity utilization rate increased from 80.6% in April to 81.9% in May.