Bloomberg (04/25/12) Timothy Homan
Orders for long-lasting U.S. goods sank 4.2% in March, the steepest monthly decline in three years, the U.S. Commerce Department reported today. Economists forecasted a 1.7% decline, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. Slowdowns in Europe and China may limit exports, while business investment cools after the strongest 10-quarter performance in a decade, leading to a slowdown in manufacturing.