Factory Orders Rise 1.4% in March

Factory orders rose 1.4% in March, the Commerce Department said Friday.

Excluding transportation orders, bookings rose 2.2%, the most in a year, Commerce said.

The gain followed a 0.9% decline in February that was smaller than the 1.3% drop originally reported.

The March increase was bigger than the 0.2% rise forecast by economists, Bloomberg reported.

Durable goods orders, which make up about half of factory orders, rose by 0.1%. Transportation equipment orders fell 3.2%.

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