By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Orders for long-lasting U.S. goods fell 0.7% in October, largely because of weaker demand for commercial aircraft. Bookings for electrical equipment and computers also fell, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected orders to drop 1.5%. If the transportation sector is excluded, however, orders actually rose 0.7%. Bookings for transportation equipment, a particularly volatile category, sank 4.8% last month. Orders for commercial aircraft plunged 16.4%. Orders minus defense rose 0.2%. Orders for core capital goods, which excludes defense and transportation, fell 1.8% last month. Shipments of durable goods rose 1.3% to mark the fifth increase in the past six months.
