WASHINGTON — Durable goods orders rose 2.7% in January, driven by orders for aircraft, as durable orders excluding transportation dropped by 3.6%, the largest amount in a year, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
Durable orders for transportation goods jumped 27.6% for the month as businesses placed orders for nonmilitary aircraft and parts.
Economists expected durable goods would increase 2.7% and durable orders excluding transportation would increase 0.4%, according to the median estimate from Thomson Reuters.