Factory Orders Rise 0.3% in September

Factory orders rose 0.3% in September, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The increase followed a revised 0.1% gain in August that was originally reported as a 0.2% drop.

The September gain topped economists’ forecasts of a 0.2% decrease, Bloomberg reported.

Capital goods orders excluding aircraft and military orders, a measure of future business investment, jumped 2.9% following a 0.9% gain the previous month.

The trucking industry relies on factory orders and shipments for much of its business.