Factory orders suffer setback

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004 | 9:09 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Orders to U.S. factories, after posting two months of solid increases, fell by 1.4 percent in November, the biggest setback in seven months.

The Commerce Department said today the weakness was concentrated in the communications sector, where orders plunged by 41.1 percent in November.

Demand in all categories of durable goods was down 2.5 percent, a slightly smaller drop than the 3.1 percent originally stated in a preliminary report two weeks ago.

Analysts discounted the November decline as a temporary blip in an otherwise brightening picture for U.S. manufacturing.

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