Orders saw their biggest monthly decline since December 2015, falling 2.4 percent to $458.3bn and reversing much of the 2.8-percent gain recorded the prior month.

While the decline was expected, it was bigger than the analyst consensus which called for a decline of only 2.1 percent.

Durable goods orders did an about-face, falling 4.5 percent to $228.8bn after posting a 5-percent gain in October.

Civilian aircraft and parts tumbled 73.8 percent to $5.7bn, dragging down the transportation sector as a whole, which fell 13.2 percent.

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