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The skyline is seen in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 21, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Sept 23 (Reuters) - U.S. companies borrowed 4% more in August to finance their investments in equipment compared with a year earlier, industry body ELFA said on Friday, while raising doubts over the sustainability of this growth amid slowdown fears.

The companies signed up for $8.8 billion in new loans, leases and lines of credit last month, compared with $8.5 billion a year earlier, according to the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA). Borrowings were up 5% from January.

"With the Fed's most recent 75-basis-point jump in short-term interest rates, and the prospect of a hard landing, time will tell whether — and to what extent — these same business owners continue to grow and invest in equipment," ELFA Chief Executive Ralph Petta said in a statement.

ELFA, which reports economic activity for the nearly $1-trillion equipment finance sector, said credit approvals totaled 75.2%, down from 78% in July.

The Washington-based body's leasing and finance index measures the volume of commercial equipment financed in the United States.

The index is based on a survey of 25 members, including Bank of America Corp , and financing affiliates or units of Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N), Dell Technologies Inc (DELL.N), Siemens AG , Canon Inc and Volvo AB (VOLVb.ST).

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, ELFA's non-profit affiliate, said its confidence index in September stood at 48.7%, compared with 50% in August. A reading above 50 indicates a positive business outlook.

Reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi

Source: Reuters

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