May Durable Orders Fall, First Time In 6 Months | Respond to Editor | Print By Greg Robb WASHINGTON--Orders for U.S.-made durable goods sank in May, falling 1.1% on weaker demand for airplanes, steel and communications equipment, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
The decrease was not as severe as the expected 1.4% drop forecast by economists surveyed by MarketWatch.
It is the first decline in total orders in the last six months and the largest since August 2009.
The underlying report was not as weak as the headline suggests.
Excluding aircraft, orders rose 0.9%.
Shipments fell 0.4% in May, and were up 0.4% excluding transportation goods.
Inventories rose 0.8%.
