Factory Orders Up Again in December

Washington, DC, Feb. 3, 2011 -- New orders for U.S. manufactured goods edged up in December and shipments of finished products were stronger, the Commerce Department said.

The Commerce Department said on Thursday that total factory orders rose 0.2% to a seasonally adjusted $426.8 billion, well ahead of forecasts for a 0.5% decline made by Wall Street economists.

Excluding the transportation category, December orders increased by 1.7% after a 3.3% jump in November. It was a fifth successive monthly pickup in orders excluding transportation goods.