U.S. durable-goods orders drop 0.8% in September (by Jeffry Bartash)

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Orders for durable goods fell 0.8% in September almost entirely because of lower demand for autos and commercial aircraft, the U.S. Commerce Department said Wednesday. Transportation orders sank 7.5%. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected total orders to fall by 1.0%. Yet orders minus transportation rose 1.7% and orders for core capital goods, which omit the volatile defense and transportation sectors, climbed 2.4%. Core capital orders give a better read on trends in the private sector. Shipments of core capital goods, however, declined by 0.9%. The government uses the shipments data to help calculate gross domestic product. Orders for August were unrevised at a 0.1% decline.