New orders for key U.S.-made capital goods slowed in July, suggesting the rebound in business investment could become more gradual amid uncertainty about the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, even as the recovery in manufacturing appears to be gaining traction. Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, increased 1.9% last month, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. These so-called core capital goods orders jumped 4.3% in June. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast such orders climbing 1.9% in July. Overall durable goods surged 11.2% in July, ... (full story)