THE ECONOMY

Machine Tool Orders Jump 39% in September: Orders for American-made machine tools climbed to $483.85 million from $347.00 million in August but were nearly 6% lower than the level in September, 1994, according to a monthly report to be released today by the Assn. for Manufacturing Technology. For the first nine months of 1995, the orders totaled $3.70 billion, 10.7% better than during the same period in 1994. Machine tools orders are an indication of whether manufacturers are confident enough about demand to refurbish and expand their factories.