WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- New orders for manufactured U.S. goods fell in August for the third month out of the past four, the U.S. Census Bureau said Monday.
New orders dropped 0.5 percent, canceling out the revised 0.5 percent rise in July. Previously, the bureau said orders rose 0.1 percent a month ago.
Orders in August fell by $2.2 billion to $408.9 billion. Shipments, also down for three of the past four months, fell 0.6 percent or $2.5 billion to $415.1 billion.
Inventories among U.S. manufacturers rose for the seventh month out of the past eight, climbing 0.l percent to $526.4 billion.
Inventories of durable goods in the month rose 0.4 percent to $312.4 billion. Non-durable goods inventories dropped 0.3 percent to $214 billion, pushed by decreases in petroleum and coal inventories, which fell 2.9 percent to $39.2 billion.
Breaking down new orders data, the bureau said durable goods orders fell 1.5 percent to $191.9 billion while non-durable goods orders rose 0.3 percent to $217.1 billion.
