Durable Goods Orders Jump 5.7%

Durable goods orders took the biggest jump since September, rising 5.7% in February, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

The increase was above economists’ median forecast of a 3.9% gain, Bloomberg News reported, and followed a 3.8% drop in January.

Excluding transportation equipment, which is often volatile, orders slipped 0.5%, the first such decline in six months. They were projected to climb 0.6%, Bloomberg reported.

Bookings for non-defense capital equipment, excluding aircraft, fell 2.7% following a 6.7% increase in January.

Demand for automobiles rose 3.8%, the most since July. Cars and light trucks sold at a 15.3 million annual rate in February, up from 15.2 million in January, Bloomberg said.

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.