In this Sept. 20, 2019, file photo, Maurine Carter works on the wiring of a stove in LaFayette, Ga. Orders to American factories for big-ticket goods rebounded last month from a disastrous April as the U.S. economy began to slowly reopen. (File photo: AP)

Orders of big-ticket US manufactured goods fell in April for the first time after 11 months of increases, dropping 1.3 percent, according to government data Thursday.

The decline, which defied expectations for another increase, was driven by a 6.7 percent drop in transportation equipment, the Commerce Department reported.