Orders to factories grow 3% in month

5/4/2011
BLADE STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

WASHINGTON — Factory orders rose 3 percent in March, the fifth consecutive monthly gain, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Excluding the volatile transportation sector, orders rose 2.6 percent.

The March increase pushed total orders to $462.9 billion, up 31.2 percent from the recession low hit in March, 2009.