WASHINGTON — New orders for manufactured durable goods jumped $6.2 billion or 3.0% to $214.5 billion in December, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
The gain came after a 4.3% increase in November.
Excluding transportation, new orders rose 2.1%; excluding military spending they gained 3.5%.
Economists projected a median 2.0% increase in new orders for durable goods and a 0.7% gain in durable goods excluding transportation.
Durable goods shipments, up two of the last three months, rose $4.3 billion or 2.1% to $207.3 billion in December, following a revised 0.3% decrease in November.
