U.S. Factory Orders Fall In April For Second Consecutive Month

U.S. factory orders fell 0.6 percent in April, the second consecutive month of declines and another sign of economic slowdown, the Commerce Department said Monday.

The result missed a forecast by economists surveyed by Bloomberg, who expected a 0.2 percent increase in orders. Factory orders excluding transportation equipment were down 1.1 percent. Durable goods orders were unchanged compared to the prior month, while non-durable goods were down 1.1 percent.

The report follows disappointing jobs numbers last week, when the Labor Department said that the U.S. added only 69,000 jobs in April, below forecasts, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent.