US factory orders up slight 0.3 percent in September

In this Friday, Oct. 21, 2016, photo, Barbara Taylor examines a spool of thread made from recycled plastic bottles at the Repreve Bottle Processing Center, part of the Unifi textile company, in Yadkinville, N.C. On Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, the Commerce Department reports on U.S. factory orders for September. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) In this Friday, Oct. 21, 2016, photo, Barbara Taylor examines a spool of thread made from recycled plastic bottles at the Repreve Bottle Processing Center, part of the Unifi textile company, in Yadkinville, N.C. On Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, the Commerce Department reports on U.S. factory orders for September. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

By Associated Press November 3, 2016 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Orders to U.S. factories increased a modest amount in September even though a key category that tracks business investment plans fell by the largest amount since February.

The Commerce Department says factory orders edged up a slight 0.3 percent in September following a 0.4 percent advance in August. Orders in a category that serves as a proxy for business investment fell 1.3 percent, reversing a 1.2 percent increase in August. It was the biggest decline in the investment category since a 2.1 percent plunge in February.

The hope is that manufacturers, who have been battered all year by a strong dollar and global weakness, will begin to see an improvement. Analysts think that the September drop in the investment category, non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, will be temporary.