AlQa'dah 19, 1434, Sep 25, 2013, SPA -- Orders for U.S. manufactured goods rose slightly in August as demand for autos increased and companies spent more on machinery and metal products, the government said Wednesday, signaling that the factory sector strengthened midway through the third quarter. The Commerce Department reported that orders for durable goods - expensive manufactured items expected to last at least three years - rose 0.1 percent last month, following an 8.1 percent plunge in July, which was driven by a drop in demand for commercial aircraft, a volatile category. Auto factories reported a 2.4 percent increase in orders, the biggest in six months. Orders for defense aircraft and other goods fell sharply. Excluding defense items, durable-goods orders rose 0.5 percent. Orders for non-military capital goods excluding aircraft - also known as core capital goods - rose 1.5 percent in August after falling 3.3 percent the previous month. The category is a good measure of business confidence in the economy and includes items that signal expansion, like machinery and computers.