New orders for manufactured goods increased 0.4% in May, after falling a revised 0.4% in April, first reported as a 0.8% decrease, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
Economists polled by IFR Markets expected orders to be flat.
Excluding transportation, new orders rose 0.7%, after a 0.9% gain the previous month. Excluding defense, orders were down 0.1% after a 0.6% decrease in April.
Durable goods orders were 0.4% lower in May after a 1.0% decrease in April, while nondurable goods orders gained 1.1% in May after a 0.3% rise in April.