SUBSCRIBE: Missing news on social media? Subscribe to CHAT News Today's DAILY newsletter and stay up to date with your city.

US factory orders fell in May for second straight month

Jul 5, 2017 | 8:15 AM

WASHINGTON — Orders to U.S. factories fell for the second straight month in May.

The Commerce Departments reports that factory orders declined 0.8 per cent in May, the biggest drop since last November.

Excluding the volatile transportation sector, factory orders fell 0.3 per cent in May. Orders for civilian aircraft plunged 11.6 per cent after dropping 12.2 per cent in April.

Orders rose a modest 0.2 per cent in a category monitored for signs of businesses’ investment plans.

American manufacturing has been sending mixed signals. The Institute for Supply Management reported Monday that its manufacturing index rose sharply last month.

Overall, U.S. factories have rebounded from a slump caused by cutbacks in the energy industry and a strong dollar that made American products costlier overseas.

Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press