By Tuba Ongun
US durable goods orders increased 3.1% in January, surpassing a market forecast of a 2% rise, according to a report released Thursday by the US Census Bureau.
The increase reversed two consecutive monthly declines, the report said.
New orders for manufactured durable goods rose $8.7 billion to $286 billion.
The figure for December was revised to $277.3 billion, reflecting a 1.8% decline.
Excluding transportation, new orders in January remained virtually unchanged. However, transportation equipment, which rebounded after two consecutive monthly declines, led the overall increase with an $8.6 billion rise (9.8%) to $96.5 billion, the Census Bureau noted.