March Durable Goods Report Shows Slowing Economy

U.S. core capital goods orders, a measure of hard goods being ordered from manufacturers, fell again in March.

So-called core orders excluding aircraft and military goods fell 0.5%. Shipments of core capital goods, a category used to help determine quarterly economic growth, dropped 0.4% in March

February’s numbers were in the negative as well and combined with March could signal a stagnant or reversing U.S. economy.

Economists cut first quarter growth to just above 1 percent or lower, with Amherst Pierpont Securities now forecasting absolutely no growth at all.

Military and aircraft orders showed an increase which offset the consumer drop in goods orders.