US durable goods orders fall 5.1 percent in December

Durable goods orders dropped 5.1 percent in December following a 0.5 percent decline in November, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Durable goods orders have fallen in four of the past five months, reflecting the pressures facing American manufacturers from a strong dollar and spreading global economic weakness. Both of those factors have hurt export sales.

The category that serves as a proxy for business investment plans dropped 4.3 percent in December after a 1.1 percent decline in November.

American industry has struggled in recent months, and economists do not expect a quick turnaround. They worry that export sales will continue to struggle as the dollar keeps rising. There is also concern about economic weakness in such key export markets as China, the world's second largest economy, and other emerging markets.

Overall orders were down $12 billion in December to a seasonally adjusted total of $225.4 billion.

The weakness in December was led by a 29.4 percent plunge in demand for commercial aircraft, a category that swings sharply from month to month.

But demand was also down in a number of areas. Excluding the transportation sector, orders still fell 1.2 percent following a 0.5 percent decline excluding transportation in November.

Orders for machinery dropped 5.6 percent, while orders for computers and other electronic products retreated 2 percent.