Factory orders rise 2.3 percent

WASHINGTON -- The Commerce Department reported Monday orders placed with U.S. factories rose by 2.3 percent in December. That was an improvement from the 1.7 percent gain posted in November and marked the biggest increase since July. For all of last year, total orders -- durable and nondurable goods -- placed with U.S. factories went up by 1.4 percent. It was the worst performance since 2002, when the economy was struggling to recover from the 2001 recession. In 2006, factory orders rose by 5.1 percent.