durable goods orders

Demand for U.S. factory goods fell by 1.5% in March -- the biggest drop in three years -- driven by a sharp decline in orders for commercial aircraft. But airplane orders are a volatile statistic, and more recent data suggest the dip may be temporary. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders for factory goods fell 1.5%, the steepest decline since March 2009, when the economy was mired in recession. Orders rose 1.1% in February.

Orders for long-lasting factory goods fell by the largest amount in three years last month, mostly because demand for commercial aircraft plunged. But companies also ordered less machinery and other equipment, a sign manufacturing output may slow.

Oracle, Discover and Tiffany are all expected to report year-over-year growth for their most recent quarters this week. Meanwhile, many will be looking for an updated snapshot of the housing market, with three sets of real-estate data coming out.

With corporate earnings season in full swing -- watch for McDonalds, along with Catepillar, Amazon and other -- and with the Fed meeting on interest rates, the GDP estimate and housing numbers coming out -- the week ahead is expected to be quite busy.

Growth in industrial production eased in October, as durable goods orders unexpectedly fell 3.3%. It was the largest decline in orders since January 2009.

Among quarterly results scheduled for this holiday-shortened week, investors may be thankful for earnings results from Tyson Foods, the Arkansas-based poultry and meat producer. Analog Devices and Deere also are reporting.

Investors got more evidence today that the manufacturing sector expansion continued into late summer/early fall. The key ex-transportation component also came in higher, at 0.4%. And the ex-defense number rose 1.9%. A solid month overall.

Investors received another sign Wednesday that the U.S. economic expansion has slowed, as durable goods orders excluding transportation orders fell 0.8% in September, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

Factory orders rose just 0.1% in July, the U.S. Commerce Department announced Thursday in a report that further clarified that the manufacturing sector's expansion slowed down this summer. While the statistic did indicate tepid growth, it was less than the 0.3% gain economists had predicted.

Here's news from the business world and other money matters to watch out for Thursday (last updated at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time): Americans Owe Less Credit-Card Debt: Skittish consumers reduced their credit-card indebtedness sharply in the second quarter, credit-rating company TransUnion reported...