Orders for Manufactured Goods Rose in March

Washington, DC, May 2, 2008--U.S. manufacturers saw demand for their products increase in March, according to the Commerce Department.

Orders rose 1.4 percent in March, up from the 0.9 percent dip reported in February and the 2.3 percent drop in January.

The report was better than many economists were forecasting.

Most of the increase in March came from nondurable goods -- a category that includes food, paper products, and petroleum and coal products. Orders for nondurables rose 2.6 percent in March.

Orders for durable goods, such as airplanes, machinery and cars, rose up 0.1 percent in March, compared with a 0.6 percent decline in the previous month.