Manufactured goods orders of US edge down in Feb

Orders of big-ticket manufactured items ticked down in February on a slump in defense aircraft and parts, according to US government data released Friday.

Durable goods orders dipped 1 per cent last month to $268.4 billion, said the Commerce Department, less than January's fall but defying analyst expectations of a monthly increase instead.

"Excluding transportation, new orders were virtually unchanged," said the department in a statement, adding that orders of transportation equipment have been down for three of the last four months.

Orders of defense aircraft and parts fell 11.1 per cent, while those of computers and related products edged down 2.7 per cent.