Factory Orders Are Up Again

Economy

Orders to American factories rose in October for the fifth consecutive month thanks to increased demand for aircraft, autos, paper and food products.

Orders increased 0.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted $337.2 billion following a 0.4 percent rise the month before, according to the Commerce Department.

The gain, though modest, was more than economists were expecting. They had predicted no change.

Orders for durable goods edged 0.1 percent lower, not quite as bad as last week’s advance estimate of a 0.3 percent drop.

Strength in transportation equipment and instruments and measuring devices wasn’t enough to offset declines in primary metals such as steel and metal products, industrial machinery and electrical equipment.

Orders for non-durable goods rose 0.8 percent, the same as the previous month. Food and paper products showed the largest increases.

Shipments of factory goods, a measure of current production, fell 0.1 percent in October.