U.S. manufacturing technology consumption for the month of February, 2008 totaled $308.50 million, which is 4.4% higher than the total of $295.39 million reported for February 2007. This February, 2008 total, however, was down 4.0% from January, 2008 consumption estimates.  With a year-to-date total of $624.28 million, 2008 consumption is up ...

When President Bush signed the stimulus package legislation into law on February 23, 2008, he presented a number of goodies to U.S. manufacturers.   The package includes two major business-related tax incentives that may help reduce the cost of investing in new equipment, as well as spark new orders from customers. One provision of ...

Orders at U.S. manufacturers increased for the fourth month in a row in December, offering hope that the nation’s economy has turned the corner. The U.S. Commerce Department said that the boost in orders placed with U.S. factories rose by 2.3 percent in December; it was the biggest rise since last July.   Orders for some segments were ...

Demand for expensive products, including production machinery, surged in December.  The increase in demand was much bigger than expected and covered a wide variety of products. The boost in demand hinted at some optimism by businesses about the economy.   Orders for durable goods rose by 5.2% last month to a seasonally adjusted ...