April U.S. durable goods orders rose 1.9%, while excluding transportation, orders climbed 0.8%, according to Commerce Department data released yesterday.
The March numbers were revised to a 2.1% decline in orders, after it was reported as a 0.8% decline last month, while excluding transportation, orders were down 2.7% in March.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predicted new orders of durable goods would be flat, and ex-transportation orders would be down 0.4%.
Excluding defense, new orders rose 1.0% in April after a 2.3% decline in March. Inventories fell 0.8% after a 1.7% slide in March.
