August 2009: Orders for Durable Goods Fall in US

Orders for durable goods in the US fall by a seasonally adjusted 2.4 percent in comparison with July, according to a report that will be released by the Commerce Department in late September. One reason is a 40 percent monthly decline in orders for civilian aircraft. Computer, electrical equipment, and transportation equipment orders all fall as well, with durable goods shipments slipping 1.4 percent for the month. In total, durable goods orders are down 25 percent from the same time last year. Except for transportation, orders for durable goods are flat in August. [New York Times, 9/25/2009]