News Bites
U.S. Orders Of Durable Goods Rise By 2.9% In December
(Kitco News) -Orders for durable goods in the U.S. rose in December for the fourth time in five months, this time climbing by 2.9%, the Commerce Department reported Friday.
Consensus expectations compiled by various news organizations called for durables to be up by somewhere between 0.6% and 0.9%.
Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.6%. Excluding defense, they were up 2.2%. Transportation equipment, also up four of the last five months, led the increase, rising 7.4%.
The government’s durables report covers items with an expected life of at least three years, such as kitchen appliances, computers, furniture, autos and airplanes.
December’s tally was revised from a previously reported 1.3% gain to a rise of 1.7%.
Meanwhile, shipments of manufactured durable goods in December, up seven of the last eight months, increased or 0.6% following 1.3% increase in November.