Dec. durable goods orders down 2.5%
Dec. durable goods orders down 2.5% (by Greg Robb)
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Orders for U.S.-made durable goods sank in December, falling 2.5% on weaker demand for airplanes, vehicles, and computers, machinery, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Excluding transportation, orders rose 0.5%. The decrease was unexpected. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected a 1.0% rise in durables. This is the fourth drop in durables in the last five months. Transportation orders had the largest decline, falling 12.8%. Shipments rose 1.4% in December. Orders for core capital goods rose 1.4% in the month.