Advance estimates from the U.S. Commerce Department showed new orders for US-manufactured durable goods were effectively unchanged month-over-month at $338.6 billion in August 2026, a decrease of $0.1 billion after a 0.9% increase in July. The result exceeded market expectations for a 0.3% decline. Transportation equipment orders fell 0.6%, led by declines in nondefense aircraft and parts and vehicles and parts, while fabricated metal products dropped 1.3%. Excluding transportation, orders rose 0.3%, although the source material does not provide the revised comparison with expectations beyond that figure. Non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business equipment spending, increased 1.6% after an upwardly revised 0.6% rise in July, exceeding economists’ forecast for a 0.5% advance. Shipments of those core capital goods rose 0.6% after increasing 1.4% in July. Equipment investment has posted two consecutive quarters of double-digit growth, largely supported by spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure, although economists warned that higher oil prices, interest rates and long-term US Treasury yields could weigh on manufacturing outside AI-related segments. Gold prices remained stable around $4,300 an ounce despite the stronger-than-expected data.