Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005 | 9:35 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- Orders to U.S. factories fell in July by the largest amount in 15 months, reflecting a big cutback in demand for commercial aircraft, the government reported today.
The Commerce Department said that demand for manufactured products dipped 1.9 percent last month as orders in the transportation sector fell a sharp 8.8 percent. It was the biggest decline in this category in 19 months.
Separately, the Conference Board in New York reported that consumer confidence actually rose in August to 105.6, up from a July reading of 103.6.
The report on manufacturers' orders showed that overall orders dipped to $387.8 billion in July, compared to $395.3 billion in June.
The biggest drop was an 8.8 percent fall in orders for transportation goods, which declined to $61.9 billion, down from $67.8 billion in July.
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