Capital-Goods Orders Signal Slower U.S. Investment

American factories received fewer orders for machinery, communications gear and computers in February, signaling business investment is slowing after an unusually harsh winter put a damper on sales.

Bookings for non-military capital goods excluding aircraft fell 1.3 percent after a 0.8 percent gain in January that was smaller than initially reported, data from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. The category, which is part of the durable goods report, is considered a proxy for the corporate-spending prospects.