Spurred by a robust economy and a...

Spurred by a robust economy and a cheaper dollar, orders for U.S. machine tools soared 83.8% in the first half of 1988 from the year-ago period, the industry’s trade association said. Orders in the first six months of this year totaled $1.81 billion, according to the National Machine Tool Builders’ Assn. Machine tool orders are an indication of capital investment by manufacturers of durable goods.