WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- New orders for manufactured goods fell 5.1% in October, the biggest decline since 2000, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, as new orders for transportation equipment dropped. Action Economics analysts had expected overall new orders to fall 5%. New orders for durable goods fell a revised 6.9%, compared with 6.2% estimated last week. October's drop in overall orders is the third consecutive months of declines, following drops of 3.1% in September and 4.3% in August. Nondurable goods orders in October fell 3.4%. Core capital equipment orders fell 5%.
