U.S. nondefense capital goods orders jump 1.6% in August, outpacing forecasts

U.S. business equipment orders surged in August, with nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft climbing 1.6% to $87.6 billion, well above the 0.5% growth economists had predicted. The Commerce Department also revised July’s increase to 0.6%, three times the original figure, and combined with June’s 1.7% rise, core capital goods orders have risen roughly 3.9% over the last three months. Cumulative core orders now total $665.7 billion, a 10.6% gain from the comparable 2025 period.

While the broader durable-goods category held steady at $338.6 billion, gains in machinery, computers, electrical equipment and primary metals drove the upbeat reading. Year-to-date, machinery orders are up 13%, computers 20.1%, communications equipment 35.8%, and primary metals 15.3%. However, orders for fabricated metal products, motor-vehicle parts and commercial aircraft fell, highlighting pockets of weakness within the overall expansion.