WASHINGTON — The value of U.S. durable goods orders surged by 2.9% in December, well ahead of expectations for a 0.9% gain due to a 7.4% jump in transportation orders.
Excluding transportation, orders were up 0.6%, about as expected, with gains in a number of components. This was the seventh gain in the last eight months for the nontransportation category, a sign of underlying strength.










