Factory Orders Rise 0.5% in October

U.S. factory orders rose 0.5% in October, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The increase, the biggest since July, followed a 0.3% gain in September, Commerce said.

The upturn was greater than economists’ forecasts of a no change, Bloomberg reported.

Excluding transportation orders, bookings rose 0.6 %.

Durable goods orders, which make up just over half of all orders, fell 0.2% following a 1.4% decline in September.

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