Durable goods orders fell in August, paced by a decline in orders for commercial aircraft and parts.
Overall orders slipped 0.2 percent to $272.7 billion, the Commerce Department said today in a monthly report. It was the second consecutive monthly decline.
Excluding transportation, new orders rose 0.2 percent. Excluding defense, orders declined 0.9 percent.
The overall transportation equipment category slipped 1.1 percent to $92 billion. It was the second consecutive monthly fall for transportation.
Within the category, the main reason for the decline was orders for commercial aircraft and parts, which plunged 18.5 percent to $13.3 billion.
Other transportation components fared better.
Orders for motor vehicles and parts rose 0.3 percent to $59.8 billion. Orders for defense aircraft and parts soared 31 percent to $6.9 billion.
Commercial aerospace generally is coping with workforce shortages and supply chain issues. The auto industry still enjoys high demand for pickups and SUVs but an ongoing computer chip shortage has kept supplies tight on dealer lots.
Among other categories, orders for primary metals advanced 0.4 percent to $20.8 billion. Orders for machinery increased 0.3 percent to $38.8 billion. Orders for fabricated metal products declined 0.7 percent to $36.9 billion.
The report is based on a survey of about 3,100 companies.
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