Durable Goods Fall for Sixth Month

Durable goods orders fell for a sixth straight month in January, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The 5.2% decline was more than twice what economists had projected and it followed a revised 4.6% drop in December.

Excluding transportation orders, bookings for goods meant to last several years fell 2.5%, Commerce said.

Economists had expected orders to fall 2.5%, and excluding transportation orders to fall by 2.2%, Bloomberg reported.

Durable goods include large items such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Trucking is a major beneficiary of durable goods manufacturing, hauling both components and finished goods.