Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

9 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

10 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

1 day ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

1 day ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

1 day ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

1 day ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

1 day ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

1 day ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

1 day ago
US Durable Goods Orders Fall 1.1% in September
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
October 24, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods tumbled in September by the largest amount in four months while a closely watched category that tracks business investment fell for a second month.
The declines underscored the troubles manufacturing is having in the face of a global slowdown and trade war uncertainty.

Many economists say growth would have slowed even more without two interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. The Fed meets again next week and financial markets are looking for a third quarter-point rate reduction as insurance against a possible recession.
The Commerce Department said Thursday that orders for durable goods dropped 1.1% in September, the biggest setback since a 2.3% decline in May. Orders in a category that serves as a proxy for business investment spending dipped 0.5% following a 0.6% decline in July.
Many economists say growth would have slowed even more without two interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. The Fed meets again next week and financial markets are looking for a third quarter-point rate reduction as insurance against a possible recession.
U.S. manufacturing has been struggling this year as a global slowdown and President Donald Trump’s get-tough trade policies have hurt export sales. Auto production was also curtailed because of a strike at General Motors.
In a separate report, the Labor Department said that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell by 6,000 last week to 212,000.
 

Reflecting a Weakness in a Number of Areas Led by Transportation

The applications, considered a proxy for layoffs, have remained at extremely low levels for an extended period, reflecting the strength of the job market and an unemployment rate which now stands at a half-century low.
The 1.1% decline in orders for durable goods, items expected to last at least three years, reflected weakness in a number of areas led by transportation, which dropped 2.7%.
Demand for commercial aircraft fell 11.8% in September after a 17.2% decline in August. This category has been hurt by the troubles at Boeing, which has suspended production of the 737 Max while two deadly crashes are being investigated.
Auto production fell 1.6% in September, the second monthly decline, with weakness in this area reflecting in part a strike at General Motors.
The GM strike, which began on Sept. 16, led to a 4.2% decline last month in auto production. The automaker reached a tentative 4-year deal last week with workers who took to the picket lines for a month.
Excluding the volatile transportation sector, durable goods orders would still have declined 0.3% in September after a 0.3% increase excluding transportation in August.
Orders for machinery edged up a slight 0.2% in September while demand for computers was up 1.4% and communications equipment rose 1.5%.
The overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, is expected to have slowed to a rate around 1.5% in the just-completed July-September quarter, lower than the 2% growth seen in the second quarter.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

DON'T MISS

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

UP NEXT

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

UP NEXT

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

9 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

9 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

9 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

9 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

10 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

10 hours ago

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

10 hours ago

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

10 hours ago

Markets’ 90-Day Tariff Pause Rollercoaster Nears an Uncertain End

10 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

10 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign a massive package of tax and spending cuts into law at a ceremony at the White House on Friday, ...

8 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

The Madre Fire burning near New Cuyama has scorched 70,801 acres as of Friday, July 4, 2025, afternoon, making it California’s largest wildfire of the year, with only 10% containment and multiple evacuation zones in place. (CalFire)
8 hours ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

9 hours ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

A pumpjack operates at the Vermilion Energy site in Trigueres, France, June 14, 2024. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

Billy Wayne Sinisgalli, a 54-year-old transient known locally as Wayne, was found dead along a rural Fresno road Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a suspicious death. (Fresno County SO)
9 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

Israel Builds a Fence Around the West Bank
9 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

A view of the site of Thursday's Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati (Beach) refugee camp, in Gaza City, July 4, 2025. (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
10 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend