[Ferro-alloys.com]:OTTAWA--Canadian factory sales were flat in November as shipments of durable goods such as motor vehicles and fabricated metal products were offset by a fall in sales of non-durable goods including chemicals and petroleum and coal products.

In volume terms, shipments for the month edged higher thanks in part to a rebound in motor vehicles as production at several assembly plants ramped up.

Manufacturing shipments were unchanged in November from the previous month at a seasonally adjusted 72.34 billion Canadian dollars, the equivalent of about $54.0 billion, Statistics Canada said Monday.

The result was below the data agency's advance estimate for a gain of 0.6% for the month and market expectations for factory sales to climb by 0.5%, according to TD Bank economists.

Manufacturing sales on a volume, or price-adjusted, basis inched up 0.1% to C$51.82 billion in November, Statistics Canada said.

Sales in the motor vehicle industry jumped 12.7% in November after three straight monthly declines, while sales in the fabricated metal product industry rose for a third consecutive month.

Excluding motor vehicles, parts and accessories, manufacturing sales dropped 0.7% from the month before. Sales in the primary metal industry were also higher, thanks largely to higher sales of alumina and aluminum production and processing and non-ferrous metal output and processing.

Sales in the chemical industry fell in November after two consecutive monthly gains, led by a sharp drop in sales of pesticide, fertilizer and other agricultural chemicals, while sales in the petroleum and coal industry declined after a sharp jump in October on lower volumes and prices.

Inventory levels held by factories dropped 0.5% in November, the first monthly decline since December 2020, driven mainly by lower inventories in machinery, transportation equipment and chemical industries, the agency said. Unfilled orders, the stock of orders that will contribute to future sales if they aren't canceled, fell 0.8% in November, a second consecutive monthly drop, and new orders were down 0.3%.

• [Editor:Alakay]