WASHINGTON — New orders for manufactured goods were up $6 billion, or 1.3%, to $468.4 billion in February, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
The February increase followed a revised decline of 1.1% in January, originally reported as a 1.0% slide. The increase was smaller than the 1.5% gain estimated by economists polled by Thomson Reuters. Excluding transportation, new orders rose 0.9%. Without military purchases, new orders increased 1.1%.
Shipments, up nine straight months, rose $300 million, or 0.1%, to $462.6 billion in February, following a revised 0.6% increase in January.
