Durable Goods Orders Decline 1.0% in June

WASHINGTON — New orders of durable goods unexpectedly fell for a second straight month in June, dropping 1.0% to post their largest decline in 10 months, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

Orders were down 0.6%, excluding transportation.

“The latest report joins other recent statistics showing softer activity in the manufacturing sector,” Michael Moran, chief economist at Daiwa Securities America, said in a research note.

Economists predicted durable goods orders would increase 1.0% for the month and orders excluding transportation would increase 0.4%, according to the median estimate from Thomson Reuters.

Orders for May were revised to a 0.8% decline, while orders excluding transportation were revised to a 1.2% gain.

June orders for nonmilitary capital goods, excluding aircraft, rose 0.6%, following a 4.6% gain in May. Shipments increased 0.2% following a 1.5% gain in May.

June orders for electronic equipment increased 3.7% and orders for motor vehicles and parts rose 2.5%. Total transportation equipment orders slid 2.4%.

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