New orders for U.S. factory goods fell for a fifth straight month in December, but a smaller-than-previously reported drop in business spending plans supported views of a rebound in the months ahead. Other data on Tuesday showing fairly brisk sales in January by the country’s leading automobile manufactures also offered a silver lining for a sector that has taken a hit from weak global demand and falling crude oil prices. “It suggests that activity will pick up in coming months,” said Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto. The Commerce Department said new orders for manufactured goods declined 3.4 percent as demand fell across a broad sector of industries. That followed a 1.7 percent decrease in November and exceeded economists expectations for a 2.2 percent drop. The department also said orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft – seen as a measure […]