Factory Orders Continue to Improve

U.S. factory orders rose 1% in December, marking the eighth gain in nine months, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The improvement was twice economists’ forecasts of a 0.5% increase, Bloomberg reported.

Both durable goods orders, which make up just over half of all orders, and non-durables orders, such as oil and food, also rose 1%.

Bookings excluding transportation orders, which tend to be volatile, rose 1.2%.

The trucking industry relies on factory orders and shipments for much of its business.