New orders to U.S. factories rose less than expected in April, with the increase led by a jump in civilian aircraft orders, official data showed on June 3.
Orders for manufactured goods increased 1.2% from March after an upwardly revised 1.7% gain in April, the Commerce Department said.
New orders have increased in 12 of the past 13 months.
Excluding new orders for transportation goods, which can vary widely from month to month, factory orders fell 0.5% after a 3.8% increase in March.
Commercial aircraft orders soared 228.1%.
The Commerce Department also said April orders for durable goods -- big-ticket items expected to last a few years -- were slightly lower than originally estimated, at 2.8% instead of 2.9%.
Overall, orders of manufactured goods have increased 15.6% in the year to date as the manufacturing sector leads the economy out of the worst recession in decades.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
