Orders for Durable Goods Rise 1.6% in November

rders for durable goods in the United States rose 1.6% in November on higher demand for aircraft and computers, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The increase to $198.9 billion followed after a revised 0.9% decline in October. Excluding transportation equipment, orders fell 0.8% in November.

Durable orders, which are goods made to last at least three years, are often looked to as an indicator of future factory activity. Factory activity drives demand for transportation services, particularly trucking, which hauls finished products and components to and from production plants.

The report also said orders for computers and related products rose 4.1% while orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a proxy for future business investment, rose 1.8%.

Shipments fell 1.7% after rising 2%, Commerce said.

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