US factory orders rise more than expected in March
US factory orders rise more than expected in March
ReutersMon, May 4, 2026 at 2:43 PM UTC
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A worker walks through the weld shop at Look Trailers cargo trailer manufacturing facility in Middlebury, Indiana, U.S., April 1, 2021. Picture taken April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Eileen T. Meslar
May 4 (Reuters) - New orders for U.S. factory goods rose more than expected in March, led by surging demand for electronics products amid the artificial intelligence investment boom.
Factory orders were up 1.5% on the month, the biggest gain since November, from an upwardly revised 0.3% in February, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Monday. Economists polled by Reuters had predicted a 0.5% rise. Orders increased 3.7% on a year-over-year basis in March.
Manufacturing, which accounts for 10.1% of the economy, has been showing some signs of recovery after being hammered by President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs last year. But other reports on the sector have shown the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has sent input costs rapidly upward, with oil prices surging by nearly 50%, and supplier delivery times growing longer.
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The increase in March was led by the largest single month in orders for the computers and electronics products category in 25 years. Orders climbed 3.6% to $29.6 billion, the most since March 2001. Within that category, new orders for electromedical, measuring and control instruments rose 7.9% to $10.6 billion, a record high.
Orders for durable goods rose 0.8%, as previously reported, while non-durable goods orders were up 2.1% to the highest level since October 2022.
(Reporting by Dan Burns; Editing by Paul Simao)
Source: “AOL Breaking”
