New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that new orders for manufactured goods declined in April, ending a four-month streak of gains and signaling a potential cooling in the manufacturing sector.

New orders fell by $22.8 billion, or 3.7%, to $594.6 billion, after rising 3.4% in March. The drop was driven largely by a sharp 17.1% decline in transportation equipment orders, which fell by $20.4 billion to $98.7 billion.

Shipments also dipped for the second consecutive month, down $1.8 billion, or 0.3%, to $598.9 billion. The decline came primarily from nondurable goods, including a $2.6 billion (4.6%) drop in petroleum and coal product shipments.

Unfilled orders remained essentially flat, inching up just $700 million to $1.41 trillion, continuing a trend of gradual growth seen in 11 of the past 12 months. Inventories dipped by $500 million to $943.6 billion, breaking a six-month streak of increases.

Durable goods shipments bucked the trend with a modest 0.3% rise, led by a 1.4% gain in transportation equipment shipments. Inventories of durable goods also edged up 0.2%, while inventories of nondurable goods fell 0.4%, largely due to a pullback in petroleum and coal stocks.

These latest figures suggest a mixed outlook for the manufacturing sector, with volatility in transportation and energy markets weighing heavily on overall performance.