Factory orders fall less than expected

New factory orders fell 1.5% in June, more than initially reported, according to the Commerce Department.

The final report showed that manufacturers were still struggling to boost sales amid slow global demand for their goods. Business capital spending has also slowed, especially in the energy sector.

The advance report released last in July showed that factory orders fell 1%.

Thursday's report showed that durable goods orders fell 3.9%, basically unchanged from the advance print.

This decline was mostly because of a slump in new orders for commercial aircraft, which tend to fluctuate a lot. Orders for goods built to last, excluding the volatile transportation category, fell by 0.4%.

Orders for autos, one of the stronger industry groups, rose 3.2%.