By John S. McClenahen New orders for manufactured goods -- excluding semiconductors -- increased 1.1% to $342.4 billion in December, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Feb. 4. It was new factory orders' best showing since December 2000 and several ...
ByJohn S. McClenahen New orders for manufactured goods -- excluding semiconductors -- increased 1.1% to $342.4 billion in December, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Feb. 4. It was new factory orders' best showing since December 2000 and several times greater than the 0.3% increase economists generally expected. New orders of manufactured durable goods -- products designed to last three years or longer -- increased $500 million, or 0.3%, to $181.9 billion in December, a revision to the previous estimate, which showed a $100 million decline in December durable goods orders. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods rose $3.1 billion, or 2%, to $160.5 billion in December. For all of 2003, new orders for manufactured goods were up 3.9% from 2002.