Orders to U.S. factories fell in August by the largest amount in seven months, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The Commerce Department said that factory orders dropped by 3.3 percent in August, which was worse than the 2.8 percent decline that had been expected and marks the largest fall since a 4.2 percent plunge in January. The drop was led by a 39.9 percent fall in demand for commercial aircraft, but orders in a number of other industries, from autos to industrial machinery and home appliances. Orders for durable goods, items expected to last at least three years, fell by 4.9 percent, while demand for nondurable goods, items such as food, clothing and gasoline, fell by 1.6 percent.
