Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods jumped 11.2% in July, the third consecutive monthly gain. And the jump last month was even larger than the 7.7% increase in June, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The strong advance last month, however, was led by the volatile transportation sector, which spiked 35.6%. Excluding transportation, orders would have risen by a more modest 2.4%. A closely watched category that serves as a proxy for business investment plans rose a solid 1.9% in July after a 4.3% rebound in June. While the gains in orders for durable goods is welcome, economists caution that could falter if coronavirus infections surge in the fall, forcing more factory shutdowns and a return to the near economic stall the U.S. went through this past spring. “The details of the report indicate that businesses remain wary as the initial post-lockdown burst in activity […]