US durable goods orders rise in January

[WASHINGTON] Orders for US durable goods rose for the first time in three months in January, pulled higher by a hefty increase in commercial aircraft orders, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.

New orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rose 2.8 per cent from December to US$236.1 billion. Orders had fallen in the prior two months, with December's drop a sharp 3.7 per cent.

In January, excluding the volatile transportation sector, new orders rose 0.3 per cent.

Transportation equipment orders leaped 9.1 per cent, after two months of declines.

New orders for commercial aircraft soared 128.5 per cent, while defence aircraft orders dropped 17.9 per cent.

Stripping out defence orders, new orders rose 3.0 per cent in January.

Year-on-year, durable goods orders were up 1.6 per cent in January.

AFP