Factory Orders Rise in March

The gain followed a revised 1.3% increase in February that was more than twice as large as originally reported.

Sales grew 2.2%, the most since November 2007.

Economists had forecast little change in factory orders, Bloomberg reported.

Durable goods orders, which make up slightly more than half of factory orders, dropped 0.6%. Excluding transportation orders, which tend to be volatile, orders jumped 3.1%.

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