U.S. factory orders up 1.8% in February

The government says orders to U.S. factories posted an increase in February after six straight monthly declines, providing another glimmer of hope that the economy's deep plunge may be starting to moderate. The Commerce Department said Thursday that orders for manufactured products rose by 1.8 percent in February, much better than the 1.1 percent decline that economists had expected. The rebound may well prove temporary given all the forces that are continuing to batter the economy. But still, analysts said a string of better-than-expected reports in recent days could at least be signalling that the severe slide that has occurred may be starting to ease slightly.