WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. durable goods orders fell short of expectations in August, falling 0.1 percent, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
Economists expected new orders for goods that last three years or more to rise 0.2 percent. However, commerce said orders fell by $200 million to $201.8 billion.
It was the second month of the past three to see orders decline. In July orders made a surprise rebound, climbing 4.1 percent.
With or without transportation orders, which includes big ticket items like trains, trucks, planes and ships, orders were off 0.1 percent. With or without defense spending, the figure stayed consisted, down 0.1 percent.
A more unlikely category, primary metals, lead the declines with a $200 million or 0.8 percent drop to $24.2 billion. Primary metals refer to metal products that do not include reclaimed or recycled metals. A drop in the category occurs when companies expect orders will be weak in the future.
Automobile orders fell 8.5 percent after rising 10.2 percent in July.
