Orders for US durable goods dropped broadly in December, led by a sharp fall in transportation equipment, a sign of persistent weakness in the manufacturing sector.
New orders for long-lasting manufactured goods fell 3.4% from November to $230.5 billion, the fourth decline in five months, the US Commerce Department said.
The department also revised November's decrease to 2.1% from the prior estimate of 0.7%. In December, excluding the volatile transportation sector, new durable good orders fell 0.8%.
Excluding defence, they were down 3.2%.
Almost all durable goods orders declined, except for motor vehicles and parts (+2.7%), electrical equipment and appliances (+1.2%) and fabricated metal products (+1%).
Transportation equipment orders fell for the fourth time in five months, by 9.2%.
New orders for capital goods, an indication of business investment, dropped 2.6%, today's figures also showed.
