WASHINGTON - New factory orders fell 0.2% in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Excluding transportation, new orders were also down 0.2%.
The August orders decline followed a revised 2.1% July overall increase and a 0.6% rise in ex-transportation orders. Both July numbers were revised down from the initial estimates.
The median estimate of economists polled by Thomson Reuters was for no change in August total orders.
Durable goods orders fell 0.1% in August. Excluding transportation they were also down 0.1%.
The non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft category, an indication of manufacturing health, was up 0.9%, revised down from the 1.1% increase reported in the earlier durable goods release for August. That followed an upwardly revised 0.3% decline in July.
Orders for non-durable goods industries fell 0.3%. Economists had predicted a decline based on a tumble in oil prices. Petroleum products generally account for about 20% of non-durable orders.
Shipments were down 0.2%. Unfilled orders rose 0.9%. Inventories rose 0.4%.
