US factory orders rise in September

Business orders at US factories rose in September after two consecutive monthly declines, the Department of Commerce said Monday. Factory orders for US manufactured goods rose 1.7 percent in the month or by $8.1 billion to $490.8 billion. Transportation orders, up for five of the past six months, made up the bulk of the increase, rising by $8.8 billion or 12.9 percent to $77.5 billion. Orders for durable goods overall in September rose 3.8 percent to $234.3 billion after rising 0.5 percent in August. For non-durable goods orders dropped by 0.2 percent or $500 million to $256.5 billion.