U.S. Factory Orders Decline in October

Washington, DC, Dec. 3, 2010 -- U.S. factory orders fell in October by the largest amount in five months, due to a big decline in demand for aircraft.

The Commerce Department says that factory orders declined 0.9% in October, the first setback since June and the biggest decline since a 1.8% fall in May.

Excluding the transportation categories, orders were down a smaller 0.2%.

Manufacturing has been one of the bright spots in a weak economic recovery.