Input Stories

Orders and shipments of durable goods such as household appliances bounced back last month, according to MarketWatch.

What’s going on: “Orders for U.S. durable goods rebounded in February with a 1.4% gain and business investment also rose in perhaps an early sign of revival in the manufacturing side of the economy.”

• The increase beat economist expectations of a 1% rise and follows a 6.9% decline in January.
• Meanwhile, shipments of manufactured durable goods were up 1.2% in February, following two monthly declines.

The details: Excluding transportation, new orders rose 0.5% in February, and excluding defense, they increased 2.2%.

• Orders for transportation equipment rose the most, 3.3%.  

What it means: “Taken together, these figures suggest U.S. manufacturers might be reviving after a few years of malaise.”