Factory Orders Unchanged in August

.S. factory orders were unchanged in August, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

August’s unchanged level follows a revised 1% drop in July that was greater than the initially-reported 0.6% decline.

Economists had expected a 0.2% drop, Bloomberg reported.

Excluding transportation equipment, orders posted their steepest decline since February, falling 0.7% after July’s 1.1% increase, Commerce said.

Durable goods orders, which make up just over half of all orders, were unchanged after a 2.8% decrease in July.