Orders for Durable Goods Soften in July

Washington, DC, Aug. 25, 2010--Overall orders for big-ticket manufactured goods increased 0.3% in July, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

Taking out the volatile transportation category, orders fell 3.8% -- the steepest decline since January. And business orders for capital goods fell 8.0%. That was the biggest decrease since January of 2009.

Machinery and computers were especially hard-hit. Orders for machinery dropped 15%, the biggest decline on record for that category.

Demand for durable goods has mostly risen in recent months. Orders are 15.6% higher than they were a year ago. Excluding transportation, demand has increased in all but two months this year.