Manufacturing Falls Precipitously In August

Unexpectedly, I'm sure.

New orders for manufactured goods in August, down three of the last four months, decreased $2.2 billion or 0.5 percent to $408.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 0.5 percent July increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.9 percent. Shipments, also down three of the last four months, decreased $2.5 billion or 0.6 percent to $415.1 billion.