Inside America's Unbalanced Manufacturing Rebound

The chip shortage continues to hold back motor vehicles, the aerospace recovery is just getting started, and the rest of the sector continues its steady ascent despite the lack of foreign demand.

The U.S. manufacturing sector continues to recover from the pandemic—but like the the rest of the economy, this recovery is uneven. Many industries are prospering more than ever, even as others remain stuck in the doldrums.

The headline is that the monthly value of new orders for U.S.-made durable goods continued to rise in June. At $258 billion, demand …