The response of capital goods shipments to demand over the business cycle

We study how producers of capital goods set shipments in response to fluctuations in new orders. We find that shipments respond more to orders when new orders fall below a certain level relative to shipments, usually after orders plunge in recessions. This cyclical change in producers’ behavior accounts for a considerable portion of the downturn in equipment investment in the 2001 and 2008–9 recessions. A simple model of production to order suggests that heightened persistence in new orders growth may explain the greater responsiveness of shipments, as may increases in the producers’ target delivery lag.