US factory orders fall in December on commercial aircraft bookings

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - New orders for U.S. factory goods fell in December amid a sharp decline in commercial aircraft bookings, but demand elsewhere was strong, partly driven by robust investment in artificial intelligence.Factory orders dropped 0.7% after an unrevised 2.7% increase in November, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Monday. Sign up here.Economists polled by Reuters had forecast factory orders would slip 0.6%. Orders advanced 3.7% on a year-on-year basis in December. The r ...