Factory Orders Fall 10.1% In August

Orders for goods produced in U.S. factories fell 10.1% in August, the U.S. Commerce Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected orders to fall 9.7%. Factory orders grew 10.5% in July, unrevised from prior estimates. The volatility is mainly because of up-and-down demand for airplanes. Orders for durable goods -- products meant to last at least three years - fell a record 18.4% in August, down from prior estimate of an 18.2% drop. Orders for nondurable goods fell 0.4%.