Orders for Big-Ticket Manufactured Goods Slide 2%

Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods fell 2% in November, the biggest decline in six months.

The drop was led by a large decrease in orders for defense aircraft and parts.

A closely watched category that tracks business investment ticked up 0.1%.

The Commerce Department said Monday that the drop in orders for durable goods last month was the biggest decline since May.

Orders have fallen in two of the past three months. October’s number was also revised down to 0.2% from a 0.6% gain.

Transportation equipment orders fell 5.9%, also its biggest decline since May.