Orders for Capital Goods Climbed in July by Most in a Year
Orders for capital goods increased in July by the most in more than a year, showing corporate spending was finding its footing prior to the turmoil in financial markets.
Bookings for non-military equipment excluding planes climbed 2.2%, the most since June 2014, after increasing 1.4% in June, data from the Commerce Department showed Aug. 26 in Washington. Orders for all durable goods — items meant to last at least three years — rose 2%, exceeding all forecasts of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.
An expanding economy, buoyed by steady hiring, prompted business managers to feel more comfortable about updating equipment as the negative effects of dollar appreciation abated. Consumer purchases, especially on vehicles, were supporting domestic demand even as overseas demand remained weak heading into the market turbulence this month.
“There’s a positive feedback loop of employment gains, business activity picking up and consumers feeling confident about the backdrop,” Jacob Oubina, senior U.S. economist at RBC Capital Markets LLC in New York, said before the report. “It’s a pretty decent outlook for cap-ex overall for the second half of the year.”
The median forecast of 76 economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected total orders would fall 0.4%. Estimates ranged from a decline of 4% to a 1.6% advance.
The Commerce Department also revised up the June increase in non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft from a previously reported 0.7% gain.
Shipments of such goods, which are used in calculating gross domestic product, climbed 0.6% last month. They rose 0.9% in June, also revised up from a 0.3% increase.
The July business-equipment data show a rebound from the second quarter. In the three months through June, business investment in new plants, equipment and research declined at a 0.6% annualized rate, the worst performance since the third quarter of 2012. The Commerce Department is set to release its second estimate of second-quarter GDP growth Aug. 27.
Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of construction and mining machinery, is seeing orders limited by weaker overseas customers even as the domestic economy remains resilient.
“Economic conditions in the U.S. are modestly positive, but the global economy remains relatively stagnant,” Richard Moore, director of investor relations for the Peoria, Illinois-based company, said at an Aug. 12 conference hosted by Jefferies Group. “Continued economic weakness in China and Brazil, as well as uncertainty in euro zone, haven’t helped confidence.”
Chinese monetary authorities cut interest rates this week for the fifth time since November amid the biggest stock-market rout since 1996 and a deepening growth slowdown. The country’s yuan devaluation on Aug. 11 shocked global markets, adding pressure for direct stimulus.
A slump in commodity prices, including a plunge in oil prices, also is impeding some business activity. Crude oil this week is hovering near its lowest levels since 2009.
Vehicle sales remain a bright spot for factory demand. Cars and light trucks sold at a 17.5 million annualized rate in July, the second-best reading since the start of 2006, according to Ward’s Automotive Group.
Steady job gains are helping buoy the consumer spending that makes up almost 70% of the economy. Employers added 215,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate held at 5.3%, the lowest since April 2008. The Labor Department is scheduled to report August data on Sept. 4.
