ORDERS FOR DURABLE GOODS STAGNANT IN APRIL AS U.S. ECONOMY STALLS.(BUSINESS)

Byline: SYLVIA NASAR - New York Times

Too much inventory and too little enthusiasm for new investment spending seem to be taking some steam out of the nation's factories, a government survey shows.

Orders for machinery, transportation equipment and other durable goods were flat in April, failing to recover from a sharp 3.7 percent drop in March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Shipments of durable goods actually fell 1.9 percent last month, a big drop.

Durable-goods orders in April were a seasonally adjusted $130.3 billion, after moving down a revised 3.7 percent in March to $130.246 billion.

That came as a surprise to …