Weak durable goods orders point to sluggish econom

By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods recorded their biggest drop in seven months in March and a gauge of planned business spending rose only modestly, signs of a slowdown in economic activity. Durable goods orders slumped 5.7 percent as demand fell almost across the board, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. The drop last month in orders for these goods, which range from toasters to aircraft, followed a 4.3 percent increase in February. Economists polled by Reuters had expected orders to fall only 2.8 percent. ...