Factory Orders Fall in August

Thursday October 4, 6:37 pm ET
By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer Factory Orders Drop by Biggest Amount in 7 Months Reflecting Widespread Weakness WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders to factories fell in August by the largest amount in seven months, reflecting weakness across a wide swath of manufacturing as the turbulent financial market made businesses more cautious.

The Commerce Department said orders dropped by 3.3 percent in August, even worse than the expected 2.8 percent decline. It was the biggest setback since orders fell 4.2 percent in January.