US factory orders fall more than expected in April

The US Commerce Department said today that US factory orders fell more-than-expected, falling by 0.6% in April after rising by 1.4% in March. Analysts had expected US factory orders to rise by 0.2% in April.

On an annual basis, US factory orders rose 14.2% in the twelve months through April, orders for autos and parts fell 6.1% and orders for equipment, appliances and electrical components fell 0.7%. Capital goods orders rose 2.2% in April versus 2.3% in March with core capital goods shipments up 0.9%, and non-factory orders rose 0.2% in April after rising 0.5% in March.