WASHINGTON — In a sign that the economy may slowly be rebounding, total factory shipments of six core major-appliance categories — including washers and dryers — rose 5% in February over the year-ago period.According to the latest monthly wholesale shipment data compiled by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), gains in the so-called AHAM 6, which also includes dishwashers, refrigerators, ranges and ovens, helped offset unit declines in the compactor, home comfort and microwave-oven categories.Home laundry saw a more moderate 2.8% increase, which was driven by a 6.7% gain in electric-dryer sales that helped counter flat activity in washers.AHAM’s monthly major-appliance report is compiled from manufacturer-supplied shipment data for the U.S. market and includes imported and domestically produced products. The current report covers the four weeks between Jan. 31 and Feb. 27.
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