U.S. FACTORY ORDERS ROSE 0.2 PCT IN APRIL
New orders for manufactured goods rose
401 mln dlrs, or 0.2 pct, in April to a seasonally adjusted
199.8 billion dlrs, the Commerce Department said.
    The slight April gain followed a revised orders increase in
March of 2.6 pct. The department originally reported a March
increase of 2.3 pct. Excluding defense, factory orders fell 0.2
pct in April after rising 1.1 pct in March.
    Orders for durable goods were virtually unchanged in April,
up only 13 mln dlrs to 106.2 billion dlrs. The department had
estimated on May 22 that April durable goods orders rose 0.1
pct.
    The department said defense capital goods orders were up
808 mln dlrs, or 8.1 pct, in April to 10.8 billion dlrs.
Defense orders had risen 43.2 pct in March.
    New orders for non-durable goods were up 388 mln dlrs, or
0.4 pct, in April to 93.6 billion dlrs.
    These figures compared with a March increase of 4.2 pct in
durables orders and a 0.8 pct rise in non-durables orders.
    Orders for non-defense capital goods were up 0.8 pct in
April after rising 2.0 pct in March.
    Within major industry categories orders for transportation
equipment fell 7.6 pct in April after rising 10.8 pct in March.
    Primary metals gained 5.4 pct in April after a 6.8 pct
March orders increase.
    Orders for non-electrical machinery were down 0.9 pct in
April after rising 2.3 pct in March. Electrical machinery
orders rose during April by 19.3 pct after falling in March by
3.4 pct.
 Reuter
