WASHINGTON — New orders for manufactured durable goods rose $9.9 billion or 4.2% to $244.5 billion in June, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
The increase followed a revised 5.2% advance the previous month, originally reported as a 3.6% increase.
The June uptick reflected an increase in transportation equipment orders, which climbed $9.9 billion or 12.8% to $87.1 billion. Excluding transportation, new orders were flat, after a 1.0% rise in May. New orders of nondefense aircraft and parts rose $6.5 billion.
The June increase exceeded the median 1.2% increase projected by economists polled by Thompson Reuters. The economists had expected that new orders excluding transportation would increase by 0.5%.
Durable goods shipments stayed roughly the same in June, at $229.8 billion. That followed a revised 1.3% increase the previous month.
Unfilled orders for durable goods climbed $21.4 billion or 2.1% to $1.01 trillion. That followed a revised 1.1% increase the previous month.
Inventories rose $700 million or 0.2% to $378 billion in June.