Orders for U.S. Business Equipment Trailed Forecasts in October

Orders placed with U.S. factories for business equipment were weak in October for a third straight month, another sign that momentum is cooling amid risks from the trade war with China.

Non-military capital goods orders excluding aircraft -- a proxy for business investment -- were little changed after a 0.5 percent decline in September that was worse than previously reported, Commerce Department figures showed Wednesday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey called for a 0.2 percent gain.