WASHINGTON —Companies placed more orders with U.S. factories in May from April, demanding more computers, machinery and other equipment that signal investment plans.
The increase is a welcome sign after two months of declining factory orders.
Still, factory orders are down from the start of the year. And more recent data show manufacturing activity shrank in June for the first time in three years, adding to worries that weaker global growth is weighing on the U.S. economy.
“The demand for manufactured goods is recovering moderately and irregularly, but that recovery has been weak relative to the magnitude of the previous declines,” said Steven Wood, chief economist at Insight Economics
Factory orders increased 0.7 percent in May from April, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
Core capital goods, which include machinery and computers, rose 2.1 percent. That’s better than the 1.6 percent estimated in a preliminary report a week ago and shows companies are still making investment plans.
Overall factory orders increased to $469 billion. That’s 43.5 percent higher than the recession low reached in March 2009. But orders have fallen 2.5 percent over the past five months from their post-recession high hit in December.
Orders for long-lasting durable goods, everything from airplanes to refrigerators, rose 1.3 percent in May. Orders for non-durable goods, which include food, paper, chemicals and energy products, edged up 0.2 percent. The increase may have been held back by falling oil and gas prices.
