Orders for U.S. manufactured goods fell in November, reversing course after an October increase.

Manufacturers’ new orders totaled $586.1 billion in November, down 0.4% from $588.2 billion in October, according to the Commerce Department. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had expected a 0.3% decline in orders.

Orders for durable goods, intended for longer-term use, did worse, declining by 1.2%. Declining orders for ships and boats, some defense equipment and fabricated metal products outweighed gains in orders for photography equipment, metalworking machinery and electric-lighting equipment. Nondurable goods orders grew 0.4%.

Other indicators from the report on factory activity showed a more positive trend. Shipments grew by 0.1% to $586.3 billion, ending a three-month stretch of declines.

Unfilled orders grew by 0.3% to $1.405 trillion.