Today in business: 5 things you need to know

Stocks fall, Bank of America's mortgage business is questioned, and more in our roundup of the business stories that are making news and driving opinion

A pipe-making factory in California: U.S. factory orders rose significantly less than expected.
(Image credit: Beth Schlanker/ZUMA Press/Corbis)

1. STOCKS FALL ON DISAPPOINTING FACTORY REPORT

The Commerce Department on Monday reported that orders placed with factories rose 1.8 percent in December 2012, significantly less than economists had expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 100 points in the immediate aftermath of the report, which suggested that U.S. economic activity could be slowing. Orders for durable goods — big-ticket items like cars, televisions, and washers — rose 4.3 percent in December. [The Financial Times]

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.