U.S. Factory Orders Rose in June

Orders at U.S. factories surged in June, a sign of strengthening demand for American-made goods.

Orders for manufactured goods increased 3% to a seasonally adjusted $481.1 billion in June, the Commerce Department said Thursday, matching predictions of economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal.

Orders in May were revised to a 0.3% decline from an initial estimate of a 0.8% decrease.

New orders for transportation equipment, which includes aircraft and motor vehicles, was a driving factor in June's increase, up 19% from a month earlier.

Excluding transportation, orders were down 0.2%. Excluding defense, another volatile category, orders rose 3%.

Orders for nondurable goods, which includes products like fuel and drugs, decreased 0.3% to $235.3 billion.

The Commerce Department report on factory orders can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3

Write to Sarah Chaney at sarah.chaney@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 03, 2017 10:22 ET (14:22 GMT)