WASHINGTON - New orders for durable goods fell $1.5 billion or 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis in September, after declining a revised 0.1% the previous month, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.
The September drop was the largest since June 2011 when new orders for durables fell 1.1%.
Orders excluding transportation rose 1.7% after falling a revised 0.4% in August. The September gain was the highest since March when orders excluding transportation rose 2.6%.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters provided median estimates of a 0.7% decline in total orders, a 0.4% increase excluding transportation and a 0.5% increase in nondefense capital goods orders excluding aircraft.
Nondefense capital goods orders excluding aircraft rose 2.4% in September, after rising a revised 0.5% the previous month.
Shipments for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft fell 0.9%, after rising a revised 3.1% in September.
Unfilled orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft rose1.4% after gaining a revised 0.3% in August.
