WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New orders for U.S.-made goods fell for a second straight month May while shipments barely rose, pointing to continued weakness in manufacturing.
Factory goods orders decreased 0.7%, weighed down by weak demand for transportation equipment, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. Data for April was revised sharply down to show factory orders falling 1.2% instead of slipping 0.8% as previously reported.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast factory orders falling 0.5% in May. Factory orders rose 0.9% compared to May 2018. Manufacturing, which accounts for about 12% of the economy, is struggling amid an inventory bloat, trade tensions between the United States and China, and a reduction in the production of Boeing's (N:BA) 737 MAX aircraft.
The weak factory orders data was flagged by a report last month showing the second straight monthly drop in demand for long-lasting manufactured goods in April, as well as a drop in manufacturing production.
A survey on Monday showed a measure of national factory activity dropped to a near three-year low in June, with manufacturers expressing concern over the U.S.-China trade tensions.
Transportation equipment orders dropped 4.6% in May after tumbling 7.6% in April. Orders for civilian aircraft and parts declined 28.2%. There were increases in order for computers and electronic products and machinery.
The Commerce Department also said May orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, which are seen as a measure of business spending plans on equipment, rose 0.5% instead of the 0.4% gain reported last month.
Shipments of core capital goods, which are used to calculate business equipment spending in the gross domestic product report, increased 0.6% in May instead of 0.7% as previously reported.
Overall shipments of manufactured goods edged up 0.1% in May after dropping 0.6% in April.