U.S.-based companies like Whirlpool haven’t seen major sales gains, despite international competitors being hit by President Trump’s tariffs.

New orders for durable goods from U.S. manufacturers rose 2.9% in August, compared to July. But at least some of that rise is not because more stuff is being ordered, just that it is getting more expensive.

Sometimes they’re investing to meet current demand, sometimes they’re planning for the future.

But there’s plenty of room for distortion with import order data right now.

That may be in part because wealthy consumers especially have tried to get ahead of tariffs by purchasing costlier items now.

One reason for the decline is that companies stockpiled goods in March trying to get ahead of tariffs, and are now pulling back. But it also could signal tough times ahead for the U.S. economy.

Orders rose in January. Are businesses feeling good about the economy or ordering ahead of promised tariffs?

Economic growth came in pretty strong for the fourth quarter. GDP rose at an annual rate of 2.3%. And consumer spending rose 4.2%.

But take out the transportation sector — which has been throttled by the aviation giant’s troubles — and orders rose 0.4% last month.

The measure, which also increased year over year, tracks big, one-off purchases like machinery for manufacturing.