Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 7, 1990 TAG: 9003071892 SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: associated press DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
The Commerce Department said orders for durable and non-durable goods fell to a seasonally adjusted $227.7 billion, the steepest drop since they sank 7 percent in December 1974.
A 10.5 percent drop in durable goods orders, to $117.8 billion, led the plunge. A 28.8 percent drop in transportation orders accounted for 85 percent of that. Also down were orders for aircraft, which had shown huge increases the previous two months, and for defense goods.