Factory Orders Increase in February

Washington, DC, April 3, 2012 — Factory orders rose 1.3% in February after a revised 1.1% decline in January, according to the Commerce Department.

Factory orders excluding transportation equipment increased 0.9% in February after a 0.5% drop.

Orders for capital goods excluding aircraft and military equipment, a measure of future business investment, rose 1.7% after dropping 3.4% in January.

Factory inventories rose 0.4% in February, and manufacturers had enough goods on hand to last 1.33 months at the current sales pace, the same as in January.