Orders for manufactured goods jumped 5.6% in December because of a flush of new contracts for Boeing passenger planes, but business investment was weak again in another sign of a corroding U.S. economy. If transportation is set aside, new orders fell 0.1% last month. What’s more, a key measure of business investment also declined for the second time in four months. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast a 2.4% increase in orders for durable goods. These are products like cars and computers meant to last at least three years. Orders rise in an expanding economy and shrink when growth weakens. Big ... (full story)