The Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) survey provides broad-based, monthly statistical data on economic conditions in the domestic manufacturing sector. The survey measures current industrial activity and provides an indication of future business trends. Data are used by the Executive Branch of the Government for developing economic, fiscal, and monetary policy; the Bureau of Economic Analysis as components of the gross domestic product estimates; and trade associations, corporate economists, and other members of the business community as an analytical tool for assessing the current and future economic condition of the country.
