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Orders to US factories up 1.3 percent in December

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, file photo, Boeing 737-800 airplanes are on the assembly line at Boeing's 737 assembly facility in Renton, Wash. On Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, the Commerce Department reports on U.S. factory orders for December. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, file photo, Boeing 737-800 airplanes are on the assembly line at Boeing's 737 assembly facility in Renton, Wash. On Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, the Commerce Department reports on U.S. factory orders for December. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

By Associated Press February 3, 2017 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Orders to U.S. factories rose a moderate amount in December, closing out a second rough year for American manufacturers who have been battered by a strong dollar and a plunge in capital investment.

The Commerce Department says orders to factories rose 1.3 percent in December. A key category that tracks business investment was up 0.7 percent, a hopeful sign that 2017 may be a better year for manufacturers as investment in the energy sector rebounds.

For all of 2016, factory orders fell 1.4 percent following a 6.3 percent drop in 2015. It marked the first consecutive annual declines in 14 years, since orders fell 7 percent in 2001 and 1.2 percent in 2002.