US factory orders down in April, demand broadly soft

Washington

NEW orders for US factory goods unexpectedly fell in April as demand for transportation equipment and a range of other goods weakened, suggesting that manufacturing remained constrained by a strong dollar and spending cuts in the energy sector.

New orders for manufactured goods slipped 0.4 per cent after a slightly upwardly revised 2.2 per cent increase in March, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. March's orders were previously reported to have increased 2.1 per cent.