The U.S. Census Bureau said on Tuesday core nondefense capital-goods orders
excluding aircraft rose 0.5% in September; August was up 1.6% (not revised).
Economists had expected a 0.7% gain. Core capital-goods shipments, which feed
into GDP equipment spending, jumped 1.2% in September versus 0.6% in August.
Equipment investment has posted double-digit growth for two consecutive
quarters, driven by large AI-related spending, supporting manufacturing and
broader GDP. Economists expect Thursday’s initial Q3 GDP print to show
annualized growth above 3.0%. Investors are increasingly concerned about rising
long-term project costs and uncertain returns; tech firms have raised
substantial debt over the past year to fund AI investment.
