A rise in demand for communications equipment fueled a 0.2 percent increase in orders to U.S. factories for durable goods. The U.S. Commerce Department said today that the increase in orders for durable goods-items expected to last three or four more years-followed a decline of 0.6 percent in August. This pattern for durable goods orders-up one month, down the next-indicates that the U.S. economy is having trouble regaining momentum as oil prices rise and job creation isn't what people have hoped. The performance of the economy is an important issue in the presidential campaign, which climaxes with the November 2 election. President George W. Bush maintains that his tax cuts have been a strong impetus for economic growth, while Senator John Kerry says that the tax cuts help only the wealthiest Americans while doing little to help the overall economy. The U.S. unemployment rate held at 5.4 percent in September, but payrolls grew by 96,000, which was lower than expected.
