By Ruth Mantell
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Orders for U.S.-made durable goods fell 1.3% in August, the largest decline in a year, as orders for transportation equipment decreased, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a decline of 1.4% for durable-goods orders. Excluding transportation, new orders rose 2%. Orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft rose 4.1% in August, compared with a decline of 5.3% in the prior month. Analysts consider these core capital goods orders to be the best gauge of capital spending by businesses. Shipments in August fell 1.5%, compared with a gain of 2.5% in the prior month. Durable-goods orders in July rose 0.7%, compared with an earlier estimate of 0.4%.
