Factory Orders

Factory orders rose in February, bolstered by strong demand for industrial machinery and commercial aircraft. It was the 10th increase in 11 months as manufacturing continues to provide crucial support for the nation's economic recovery. Manufacturers, which were hit hard by the recession, are benefiting from overseas orders and increased business spending on capital equipment. - Associated Press

Factory orders rose in February, bolstered by strong demand for industrial machinery and commercial aircraft. It was the 10th increase in 11 months as manufacturing continues to provide crucial support for the nation's economic recovery. Manufacturers, which were hit hard by the recession, are benefiting from overseas orders and increased business spending on capital equipment. - Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Factory orders fell less than predicted in May, reinforcing forecasts that manufacturing will help overcome the housing slump. Orders placed with U.S. factories fell 0.5 percent after a 0.5 percent gain in April, the Commerce Department reported. The National Association of Realtors said separately that Americans signed fewer contracts to buy previously owned homes, with its index unexpectedly dropping to a five-year low. Demand for computers, electronics and fuel helped make up for a decline in aircraft bookings in May, the Commerce Department reported.

Monday Reports: February personal income and spending Earnings: Apollo Group Inc. Tuesday Reports: March consumer confidence; January Case-Shiller home price index Wednesday Reports: February factory orders Earnings: Dollar General Corp.; Micron Technology Inc. Shareholder meeting: McCormick & Co. Thursday Reports: March vehicle sales; March Institute for Supply Management index; Weekly initial jobless claims; February construction spending Earnings: CarMax Inc. Friday Reports: March employment numbers Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

CHICAGO -- The 0.5 percent rise in U.S. factory orders in February reflects a manufacturing sector tiptoeing its way through a tenuous economic recovery, economists said.Frederick Sturm, an economist for Fuji Securities Inc. in Chicago, said the factory orders report showed that the economic recovery is gradually gaining momentum."Chalk this statistic up to one more score that the economy is taking off," said Mr. Sturm, noting that "it's not going to be a barnstormer, but rather a low-calorie recovery."

WASHINGTON -- Orders placed with U.S. factories increased unexpectedly in July to a record level, a sign that manufacturing could be poised for faster growth, the Commerce Department said yesterday.The 0.2 percent increase in July factory orders to a seasonally adjusted $330.282 billion followed a revised 1.7 percent gain in June to $329.554 billion. Previously, the government estimated that June orders rose 1.2 percent to $327.9 billion. Before yesterday's report, analysts had expected a 0.1 percent decline in July factory orders.

U.S. FACTORY orders dropped 2.5 percent in February. It was the sharpest decline in nearly four years and the latest sign that recovery in the manufacturing sector continues to be sluggish.What is the outlook for U.S. factory orders? Will the decline hurt the U.S. economy in the future?Anirban BasuSenior economist, Regional Economic Studies Institute, Towson UniversityThere are two interesting aspects of this fairly steep decline in factory orders.One, the decline was not as steep as anticipated by most Wall Street analysts who had predicted a 2.7 percent drop.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. factory orders rose in August for the third straight month, though an increase in unsold goods reinforced the view that the economy is cooling in the closing months of the year, government figures yesterday showed."

WASHINGTON -- Orders placed with U.S. factories fell in March, posting their largest decline in seven months, a hint that the manufacturing economy cooled after starting the new year with all pistons firing, the government reported yesterday.The 1.6 percent decrease in factory orders -- to a seasonally adjusted $319.206 billion -- followed a smaller-than-previously reported 0.4 percent gain in February. Weaker demand for aircraft, autos, electronics and industrial hardware dominated the loss, Commerce Department figures showed.

WASHINGTON - An index of U.S. service industries rose to a record level last month, and the value of factory orders in December increased to the highest level in three years, suggesting that the economy has been strengthening since the fourth quarter. The Institute for Supply Management's index for non-manufacturing businesses increased to 65.7 from 58 in December, the biggest gain since the survey's inception in July 1997 and exceeding forecasts. Since April, the gauge has stayed above 50, signaling expansion.

WASHINGTON -- Factory orders fell less than predicted in May, reinforcing forecasts that manufacturing will help overcome the housing slump. Orders placed with U.S. factories fell 0.5 percent after a 0.5 percent gain in April, the Commerce Department reported. The National Association of Realtors said separately that Americans signed fewer contracts to buy previously owned homes, with its index unexpectedly dropping to a five-year low. Demand for computers, electronics and fuel helped make up for a decline in aircraft bookings in May, the Commerce Department reported.

U.S. manufacturers saw a hefty 2.9 percent increase in orders in May, but the jump, rather than signaling a broad improvement for the industrial sector, primarily reflected a surge in Boeing Co.'s often volatile commercial jet sales. The Commerce Department reported yesterday that factory orders rose to $394.13 billion in May from $383 billion in April, the strongest month-over-month increase in 14 months. Despite the May increase, however, "signals are still mixed for manufacturing," said Marisa DiNatale, an economist with the consulting firm Economy.

NEW YORK - U.S. manufacturing grew at a quicker pace in December as more factories reported a rise in orders and exports, a sign the economy strengthened heading into 2005. The Institute for Supply Management said yesterday that its purchasing managers index of factory orders rose to 58.6, from 57.8 in November, reaching the highest point since August. The gauge has shown expansion - marked by readings greater than 50 - since June 2003. For the year, the factory orders index averaged 60.5 - the highest yearly average since 65.9 in 1973.

A weekly briefing on the economic calendar Monday: Construction spending for November; Institute for Supply Management index for December Tuesday: Auto and truck sales for December; factory orders for November Friday: Unemployment rate and payroll and average workweek reports for December; consumer credit report for November

NEW YORK - U.S. factory orders rose in October as demand increased for military hardware and nondurable goods, while a labor market report suggested more people are finding jobs. "The economy is in pretty good shape," said David Resler, chief economist at Nomura Securities International Inc. "The job market has improved quite a bit in the last year." The 0.5 percent rise in bookings at manufacturers followed no change in September, the Commerce Department reported. Meanwhile, the number of people continuing to collect unemployment benefits fell in the week that ended Nov. 20 to 2.723 million, the lowest since April 2001, the Labor Department said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - U.S. service industries expanded in October at the fastest pace in three months and more companies said they were hiring, evidence the economy is strengthening as President Bush celebrates his re-election. "This certainly points to health in the economy," said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital Management in Greenwich, Conn. The Institute for Supply Management's measure of financial services, construction, retail and other nonmanufacturing enterprises rose more than forecast to 59.8 from September's 56.7.