New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods unexpectedly fell for a second straight month in June, posting their largest decline since August, providing further evidence that economic growth cooled in the second quarter, Reuters reported.

The Commerce Department said today that durable goods orders fell 1 percent after a revised 0.8 percent drop in May.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast orders increasing 1 percent in June from May’s previously reported 0.6 percent fall.

“The number was weaker than expected, and it could add to the idea that the economy is slipping into a double-dip recession,” said Bruce Bittles, chief investment strategist at Robert W. Baird & Co. in Nashville.

U.S. stock index futures turned negative on the data, while Treasury debt prices rose. The U.S. dollar extended losses versus the yen.

Orders for machinery recorded their biggest decline in 14 months, while those for primary metals fell by the most since March 2009.

Durable goods orders are a leading indicator of manufacturing, which in turn provides a good measure for overall business health.

Manufacturing is leading the economy’s recovery from the most brutal downturn since the 1930s as businesses replenish inventories drawn down to record lows during the recession, but has shown some signs of exhaustion in recent months.

The government is expected to report on Friday that economic growth slowed to a 2.5 percent annual rate in the April-June period from a 2.7 percent pace in the first three months of the year, according to a Reuters survey.