WASHINGTON — New orders for manufactured durable goods rose 0.7% to $220.9 billion in November, the Commerce Department reported Friday.
The increase followed a revised advance of 1.1% in October. The October figure was originally reported as virtually unchanged.
Excluding transportation, November new orders rose 1.6%. Excluding defense, they ticked up 0.8%. Excluding aircraft, new orders jumped 2.7%.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters had projected that durable goods orders would rise 0.3%. The economists projected a flat reading for new orders excluding transportation.
Durable goods shipments increased $3.4 billion or 1.5% to $227.1 billion in November. The decline followed a revised 0.1% rise in October.
Unfilled orders for durable goods rose $1.1 billion or 0.1% to $984.4 billion, following a revised 0.3% increase the previous month.
Inventories, which have risen in 34 of the past 35 months, were up $700 million or 0.2% to $374.7 billion in November, the highest level since the series was published on a NAICS basis in 1992. The gain followed a 0.3% gain in October.
