Durable Goods Orders Fall Unexpectedly

Washington, DC, Sept. 25, 2009--Orders for durable goods fell sharply during August on lower aircraft demand.

Orders for durable goods dropped by 2.4% last month to $164.44 billion, the Commerce Department said.

The 2.4% drop was the sharpest since 7.8% in January and marked an upset following a key measure that showed U.S. manufacturers' output last month rising for the first time since January 2008.

Economists had projected orders would climb 0.3%.

Manufacturers kept cutting inventory hard, Friday's data showed. Manufacturers' inventories of durable goods decreased in August by 1.3%.