WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New orders for key U.S.-made capital goods unexpectedly fell in February, suggesting some cooling in business spending on equipment after recent strong growth.
Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, dropped 0.8% last month, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. These so-called core capital goods orders gained 0.6% in January.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders rising 0.5% in February.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
