Several reports that came out this morning give a mixed view of the economy.

Factory orders dropped 4.6 percent in November, a record fourth straight month of declines but less than a 6 percent drop in October, the Associated Press reported. According to a Commerce Department report, orders were especially weak for commercial aircraft, automobiles, primary metals and defense communications equipment.

U.S. service industries contracted in December, but less than expected, Bloomberg reported. The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) index of non-manufacturing businesses rose to 40.6 from a record low of 37.3 in November. Readings below 50 signal contraction. It was the third consecutive month of contraction.

The group’s index of new orders for non-manufacturing industries rose to 39.9 from 35.4 and the employment index increased to 34.7 from a record low of 31.3. Meanwhile, manufacturing, which makes up 12 percent of the economy, shrank at the fastest pace in 28 years, according to an ISM report released last week.

Another report showed that the index of pending home resales fell 4 percent to 82.3, the lowest level since the index began in 2001, the National Association of Realtors said in a report today. The Northeast had the biggest decline of 7.2 percent, while the Midwest had the second-biggest drop of 6.7 percent. According to economists surveyed by Bloomberg, pending sales were expected to fall 1 percent after an originally reported 0.7 percent decline the prior month.