It seems like the US economy just can't maintain momentum. The Commerce department reported that durable goods orders in May fell 1.1%, after falling 0.8% in April. (courtesy of tradingeconomics.com)Momentum Lost:- The above chart shows that the second half of last year was volatile.- But it looked like growth was picking up momentum at the turn of the year and into Q1 2017.- However, the decline in April and May showed that businesses are buying fewer equipment and people are buying fewer big ticket items like refrigerators. This indicates a cautious outlook for the economy. Bloomberg.com reported: "The broad slowdown in equipment orders and shipments raises the risk that business investment will provide less of a boost than anticipated to the economic rebound this quarter, leaving the heavy lifting to household spending. The outlook for capital-goods production is clouded by cooling automobile sales, while overseas markets -- though improving -- are yet to show the kind of demand acceleration that would spur exports of U.S.-made goods. In addition, some companies may be waiting for clarity on more favorable tax policies from Congress before stepping up investment."Also, it should be noted that the negative reading was wider than what economists expected, which was around -0.5%.