(MAPI: Arlingon, VA) -- “The disappointing report on August durable goods activity supports the belief that the emerging U.S. and global economic recovery will be weak and laced with uncertainty at least for the first year or two,” says Cliff Waldman, economist for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI. “Underlying the flat performance of total new orders, excluding the volatile transportation category, was sluggish activity in a number of key industry sectors that should by now be enjoying much firmer demand. Machinery orders rose by less than 1 percent over July levels after a nearly 8-percent decline during the previous month, and computer orders had a substantial decline for the second consecutive month.

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